Essay by Eric Worrall
The possibility climate skeptic Nigel Farage could become Prime Minister is sending shockwaves through the British green energy community.
Reform’s anti-renewables stance ‘putting jobs and energy bills at risk’
Industry says party’s threat to strip wind and solar subsidies if it enters power undermines national interest
Jillian Ambrose and Matthew WeaverThu 17 Jul 2025 19.22 AEST
Britain’s green energy industry has accused the Reform UK party of undermining the national interest by threatening to strip public subsidies for wind and solar projects if it comes to power.
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Richard Tice, the deputy leader of the party founded by Nigel Farage, added that developers seeking a subsidy contract in the upcoming auction would “do so at your own risk” because the party would “seek to strike down all contracts” if it gained power.
“The political consensus that has sheltered your industry for nearly two decades is fracturing,” Tice said.
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James Alexander, the chief executive of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association, said: “This letter risks putting politics before prosperity by issuing threats to developers in one of the UK’s fastest-growing industries.
“Investors wholeheartedly recognise these long-term investment opportunities. It is a great shame that some politicians would rather attack the sector instead of seizing the huge potential that it offers.”
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She [Jess Ralston] added that “ ripping up long-term policies and changing agreed contracts is likely to destroy the UK’s credibility as a solid place to invest” in clean energy, which would make the UK more exposed to spikes in imported gas prices.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jul/17/reforms-anti-renewables-stance-putting-jobs-and-energy-bills-at-risk
Green investors running for the hills at the slightest hint of subsidy cancellation exposes the falsehood that renewables are competitive and affordable.
Of course we already knew that – even Mad Miliband is throwing in the towel on a pure renewable Net Zero, at least until the magic happens.
That magic would be the operational nuclear FUSION reactor British politicians expect to be operational by 2040. They’ve already begun construction.
Before you ask, while it is true the nuclear fusion economic revival programme was started by the Tories, it has been continued by the Starmer government.
As for Farage, I once had the privilege of a 20 minute one on one conversation with Nigel Farage at an event in London, many years ago. He is the same in person as he is on TV, one of the few senior politicians I’ve met who pass the pub test.
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