George Freeman, the UK¡¯s former science minister, says that he stepped down in part because he could not afford to pay an increase in his mortgage payments on a ministerial salary.

Mr Freeman stepped down last November, saying it was time ¡°to focus on my health, family well-being and life beyond the front bench¡±.

In a posted on 26 January, Mr Freeman writes that he was ¡°so exhausted, bust and depressed that I was starting to lose the irrepressible spirit of optimism, endeavour, teamwork [and] progress which are the fundamentals of human achievement¡±.

But he adds in the blog, which was first reported by , that he also quit ¡°because my mortgage rises this month from ?800 [per month] to ?2,000, which I simply couldn¡¯t afford to pay on a ministerial salary.?That¡¯s political economy 2.0.

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¡°We¡¯re in danger of making politics something only hedge funder donors [sic], young spin doctors and failed trade unionists can afford to do.¡±

MPs¡¯ annual pay currently stands at ?86,584, and as a minister of state Mr Freeman was entitled to ?31,680 on top of that, taking his total earnings to around ?118,264.

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Prior to entering politics, Mr Freeman spent 15 years in the Cambridge biotechnology sector, founding and financing four biomedical start-ups. It was unclear whether he intends to take on further paid work after leaving the frontbench.

In his blog, Mr Freeman writes that his children have ¡°paid a very high price¡± for his political career and that, after resigning, he was dedicating his time to building a cross-party consensus on science policy.

¡°I¡¯m going to use this pre-election year to share and inform the policymakers working on the manifestos across Westminster ¨C in the hope that the next government (whoever forms it) will be able to build on our successes and learn from our failings in delivering this vital mission; and to build the?non-partisan cross-party long-term policy framework?and mission we need to deliver the opportunity of national economic renewal through making the UK a global power in science technology and innovation,¡± Mr Freeman writes.

In a Times Higher Education interview published earlier this month, Mr Freeman expressed concern about the impact of the UK¡¯s immigration controls on science and innovation. ¡°We will never be a science superpower behind a visa paywall,¡± he said.

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chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com