To: UK Government, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Support a UK-Centric Clean Energy Strategy That Creates Jobs and Protects Industrial Sovereignty
The UK Government must reshape its clean energy and net zero strategy to prioritise domestic industry, workforce development, and energy independence. This includes:
- Giving UK-based firms priority in clean energy contracts
- Investing in domestic manufacturing and materials processing
- Reforming procurement laws to favour local economic benefit
- Creating regional innovation hubs to retrain workers and develop strategic industries
- Reducing reliance on foreign-owned energy assets and imported materials
Clean energy made in Britain should be more than a slogan — it must be a national strategy.
Why is this important?
I worked in the coal industry throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, and later in the petrochemical and cement sectors for the rest of my working life. I’ve seen how vital these industries were to the UK’s economy, energy security, and working communities — and how their decline was driven not by lack of potential, but by political decisions that favoured outsourcing and foreign control.
Today, the UK’s net zero strategy is repeating those mistakes. We rely heavily on foreign investment, imported energy, and outsourced supply chains. That means fewer UK jobs, exported profits, and a loss of control over the infrastructure and materials that will define our future.
We still sit on vast reserves of coal and other natural resources that could be repurposed — not for burning, but for extracting rare earth elements and industrial chemicals essential to clean tech and manufacturing. With modern technology, we could build a clean energy strategy rooted in British innovation, British jobs, and British resilience.
This petition is about making sure the transition to net zero benefits the UK — not just foreign companies. It’s about rebuilding our industrial strength, protecting our communities, and securing our future.
