Lessons for Nuclear Powered Reindustrialisation
Stonehaven
The public back more nuclear
Across party lines, voters back nuclear, not just as clean energy, but as proof that government can ‘get it done’. For Labour’s pivotal Hero Voters, who swung from Boris Johnson in 2019 to Keir Starmer in 2024, nuclear is a litmus test of competence. Nearly two-thirds believe that Britain’s ability to build nuclear stations is a defining test of national capability. If shovels hit the ground, public confidence follows.
But intent alone won’t reindustrialise Britain. Nuclear has been plagued by delays and decade-long development cycles. The report details five lessons to break this:
1) Follow through on nuclear commitments
2) Enable multiple developers (public and private)
3) Streamline regulation
4) Simplify environmental approvals
5) Unlock the power of nuclear to provide both power and heat
These reforms would speed up delivery, cut costs and create an enduring ecosystem rather than sporadic, stop-start projects.
The stakes are high. Britain faces some of the highest industrial energy bills in the world, driven by reliance on volatile gas markets. Nuclear is the only technology that can provide abundant, always-on power to underpin renewables and insulate Britain from spiking energy prices. Done right, each station can deliver clean power for half a century, long enough to fuel a genuine industrial revival.
As our report concludes, the battle of the 2020s will not be over whether nuclear is needed, but how quickly Britain can deliver it. Nuclear is more than energy policy, it’s the ultimate demonstration of getting Britain building again.
