(For those who have missed the mainstream news, today Montpellier PLC and it's subsidiary Walter Lilly & Co have resigned as builders of the controversial new animal laboratory at Oxford University following a campaign by animal rights activists. Government minsters and other apologists have been pulling their hair out and promising further 'crack downs' for the umpteenth time this year.)

Montpellier opt for Ethical option SPEAK has argued from the outset of its campaigns in Cambridge and now Oxford that using animals to replicate human illness is both a morally and scientifically bankrupt concept. Far from being anti-science, we encourage the development of new technology that will best help fight human disease.

We applaud the decision by Montpellier to withdraw from the building project and hope that it will encourage other companies currently involved in the building of this new research centre to reconsider their decision to participate in a project who's future must surely now be in question.

Since the SPEAK campaign was formed over a year ago in Cambridge, it has continually highlighted the sinister nature of Lord Sainsbury's involvement in both building projects. The Labour Party's main financial backer, Science Minister Lord Sainsbury is known to have huge financial interests in the Biotechnology industry, which will be a major beneficiary from the Oxford site currently under construction.

Oxford University have a long track record of attempting to mislead the public. The University originally claimed that the new building was to be "a holding centre for animals", a lie they persisted with for a number of weeks. A source within Oxford University informed the SPEAK Campaign that the new centre would not be a holding unit as the University had alleged, but would be used for the vivisection of
animals.

Oxford later admitted that their statement had been due to a "misunderstanding" - one which lasted several weeks in local media outlets!

The University have also denied that there has ever been any consultation between themselves and Cambridge to take on some of the plans earmarked for the now cancelled Cambridge project following SPEAK's successful campaign against the University.

Fortunately, the intelligence source within the University who originally alerted us to the true purpose of the centre was able to confirm that Oxford had for several weeks prior to the Cambridge decision been in high level talks with both the Government and Oxford. Indeed, Lord Sainsbury himself had admitted that new
facilities would be found to take over the work that had been planned for Cambridge.

The SPEAK campaign will be pursuing with renewed vigour to press for the cancellation of the building project at Oxford and already has in place new tactics and strategies to legally bring to an end Oxford University's plans to expand its vivisection capabilities.

ENDS