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On the subject of elections, Paul Boateng, Chief Secretary at the Treasury, did not appear confident of a Labour victory when he appeared before the Science and Technology Committee this week. When challenged on some of the statistics in his department's ten-year investment framework for science, Mr Boateng told Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris that he'd be interested to hear his views. "Shall I be in your place?" Dr Harris asked.

"Not yet," the minister answered.