Patrick Vallance took a swipe at Brexit this afternoon (Image: Getty)

       The Government’s new minister for science took a swipe at Brexit this afternoon, as he suggested migrant visa restrictions should be relaxed for the sake of the economy.

       Patrick Vallance, one of the new Government’s few ministerial household names thanks to his prominent role during the Covid pandemic, told the BBC that Brexit “was definitely a problem for science” and Britain’s role in the wider international scientific community.

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       Asked if the UK should adopt a “more benign” visa regime, Lord Vallance said the current hurdles to securing entry into Britain are too difficult and said there is now “an opportunity there to try and make this easier again”.

       Probed by Radio 4’s World At One whether this could include relaxing rules about migrants bringing in dependents, Lord Vallance didn’t deny this could be one approach, also highlighting the cost of visas.

       He argued: “There are lots of different visa issues, including the cost, for people wanting to come to the UK and we need to think about how we can make the environment right for people who want to come and people we want to have here contributing to science.”

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       Sir Patrick was a surprise ministerial appointment last week (Image: Getty)

       Lord Vallance told fellow science ministers today that UK must become a “reliable partner”, and revealed that the UK is looking at a bid to host an international scientific research facility as part of a wider diplomatic “reset”.

       He told the G7: “We will be a reliable partner, a dependable ally, and a good neighbour on the world stage”.

       “I am proud to join a new government with a mandate for change, which also marks a reset in how the UK collaborates with the rest of the world, with humility and shared endeavour.”

       The comments came as it was reported the Prime Minister plans to soften Brexit within days rather than months.

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       He told reporters on the journey to NATO in Washington DC: “Look, this is straightforward. Because of the timing of the election, which was much discussed for other reasons, it has provided a really important window of opportunity for me and my team, because we’ve got the Nato summit within a week of the election, so we get the opportunity to strengthen our relations with various of the Nato leaders and others obviously that are there, including EU leaders”.

       “Now that is a follow up, if you like, on some of the phone calls that I’ve already had with international leaders that I’ve been doing since the King invited me to form a government.”

       Downing Street and the Home Office were approached for comment.

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