Leave.EU has been reminded that Stephen Hawking and 150 Royal Society fellows warned of damage if we leave the union after it posted a boastful tweet about Britain’s scientific achievements.
The prominent campaign group took to Twitter in an attempt to restore some much-needed hope in the country’s ability to survive on its own.
The post read:
“Brits invented the steam engine, the jet engine, the light bulb, calculus & the world wide web.
“We discovered gravity, antibiotics & the structure of DNA; and gave the world common law & the theory of evolution.”
But its sentiment was lost on most Twitter users, who were quick to remind them that ahead of the referendum Hawking and more than 150 Royal Society fellows warned that quitting the European Union would be a “disaster for UK science”.
The world’s most famous physicist was joined by economists, mathematicians, engineers and a variety of scientists in writing a letter arguing that Britain’s membership of the EU was crucial for two reasons.
“First, increased funding has raised greatly the level of European science as a whole and of the UK in particular because we have a competitive edge,” they wrote.
“Second, we now recruit many of our best researchers from continental Europe, including younger ones who have obtained EU grants and have chosen to move with them here.
“Being able to attract and fund the most talented Europeans assures the future of British science and also encourages the best scientists elsewhere to come here.”
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