Dear Andy,
I listened carefully to your recent speech outlining your vision for the future of our country and your ambition to create a stronger voice for the North.
You spoke with conviction about reindustrialisation, protecting jobs and securing the future of British industry.
Those are ambitions that many of us share.
We believe Britain should manufacture, innovate and lead once again. We believe our industries deserve investment, our workers deserve security, and our communities deserve prosperity.
However, reindustrialisation cannot come at the expense of ordinary people.
It cannot mean families losing their homes, farmers losing their land, communities living alongside unnecessary industrial infrastructure, or irreversible damage to our countryside and wildlife. Economic growth should never require the sacrifice of the very people it is meant to serve.
If Britain is to lead a new industrial revolution, it should be built around genuinely sustainable industries, modern manufacturing, green steel, renewable technologies and innovation that creates long-term prosperity while protecting our environment. It should not depend on extending the life of the fossil fuel industry through increasingly costly infrastructure that many communities neither want nor believe is the right solution.For too long, large corporations have had the loudest voice. They have the resources, the influence and the ability to shape policy in ways that ordinary people simply cannot. Yet it is communities that bear the consequences of those decisions.
Now is the time to listen to the public.
People want secure, affordable energy. They want well-paid jobs. They want investment in British industry. But they also want clean air, healthy ecosystems and confidence that decisions made today will leave a better legacy for future generations.
Projects such as carbon capture and storage are often presented as essential to our future. Many of us see them differently. We see them as an attempt to prolong dependence on fossil fuels rather than accelerate the transition to genuinely clean energy. Britain has the opportunity to become a global leader in renewable energy, clean technology and sustainable manufacturing without placing unnecessary burdens on communities or the natural environment.
When you speak of reindustrialisation, we ask that you champion a vision that puts people first.A vision that protects jobs without sacrificing communities.A vision that safeguards our environment while strengthening our economy.A vision that invests in industries of the future rather than prolonging those of the past.
The North has always been the engine of British innovation. Let it now become the engine of Britain’s green future.
We urge you to stand with the people, not simply those with the greatest financial influence, and help build an economy that delivers prosperity, energy security and environmental responsibility for generations to come.
Thank you,
AACCS, and our valued followers,
On behalf of everyone in the UK and beyond.
