Uncertainty over plans to build a secretive new research centre has been described as "alarming" by a panel of MPs.
Work on the laboratories in Harlow, Essex, was paused in March 2023 after years of delays and costs rising from £530m to £3.2bn.
The facility, designed to prepare the UK for dangerous pathogens, was branded a "critical piece of infrastructure" at a meeting of the government's public accounts committee.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves vowed to "get the best possible outcome" of land earmarked for the centre, which was purchased for £30m in 2017.
More than £400m has already been spent on the project, according to a National Audit Office report.
It was born out of concerns about the high-containment laboratories in Porton Down in Wiltshire, and Colindale in north London.
The sites have been essential for detecting and studying the most threatening pathogens, including Ebola and Covid-19.
