Britain Remade

Can we build it? YES WE TRAM! luma.com/yeswetram

NEW: Britain is the most expensive country in the world to build a nuclear power plant. The Fingleton Review challenged the Government to deliver a radical programme of planning and regulatory reform to make it cheaper and quicker to build nuclear power plants. The Government have now published a full response and implementation plan. Did they deliver 'full implementation' or is it another Labour U-Turn? Here's @BritainRemade's analysis. This is a really big step forward. On safety and reactor design, this is the radical reset of nuclear regulation the review demanded. On planning, this is the most radical infrastructure reform agenda the govt has put forward yet. However, it is not 'full' implementation. Some key measures have been watered down. For example, Habs Regs reforms have become 'updated guidance' and lack statutory underpinning. Some have been rejected such as the call for statutory time limits for permits and the call to make community benefits a material consideration in planning. Overall, it's really good news for nuclear (and therefore energy security). This could end up as Starmer's best legacy as PM. More detail in the blog below. samdumitriu.com/p/how-serious-…

This review was clear: Britain's regulatory system left us the most expensive place to build nuclear. Gov's vow to implement its recommendations in full is a huge win for common sense. We look forward to a full implementation plan, particularly the Habitats Regulations reforms.

The Government has today said that they'll be implementing Fingleton's recommendations in full! Great news! Now let's see the plan - specifically how they will implement recommendations 11, 12, and 19 that relate to Habitats Regulations reform gov.uk/government/new…

I am pleased to see the government response to Task Force on Nuclear Regulation. First, it has been published on time which sends a positive signal about priorities. Second, the detailed and considered response shows that the Government is serious about reform. Third, almost every recommendation is to be taken forward fully. All of this should help bring about a substantial reduction in cost and delivery schedules for new nuclear. This should spur greater confidence for investors in nuclear in the UK. A few recommendations will be taken forward in a different way that in our report, as we envisaged. The role of the Implementation structure will be critical in continuing to ensure that this is prioritised.

Birmingham is almost three times the size of Lille. But Lille is winning comprehensively when it comes to rail transport. Why? Because English cities have to go to Westminster for money and permission to build. We need to give mayors the power to build 👇

In France, every urban area with more than 150,000 residents has a tram or metro. In Britain, we have 30 cities of this size with no rapid transit. Hoarding power over transport in Westminster is making England's cities poorer. Sign the petition: britainremade.co.uk/mayors_power_t…

@LFG_Leeds Not sure if this is a football or transport point!

@BritainRemade Embarrassing that Leeds isn't even in the running!

Can Manchester beat Madrid? On rail network, stations and passenger journeys per head... absolutely not. Why? Because mayors in England have to go to Westminster for money and permission to build transport. We should give mayors the power to build - petition below 👇

Rail Madrid

It's not just Spain. Germany has 60 cities with tram or metro systems, England only has seven. Let's learn from countries that get this right, let's give mayors the power to build. Add your name now. britainremade.co.uk/mayors_power_t…

The “Preston Model” is often credited with reviving Preston through local procurement and co-ops. But there's a lesser known and more important Preston model: housebuilding. Since 2018 Preston has beaten its housing targets every year, and from 2021–24 it delivered more homes relative to target than any council in England. How? By linking new housing to visible infrastructure: roads, transport and other local improvements funded by development. Could the rest of the country follow the Preston model? samdumitriu.com/p/the-truth-ab…

There's a popular idea on the left of British politics that councils can boost their local economy massively by 'buying local' and directing their procurement spend towards local businesses/co-ops. It's known as the "Preston Model" after the council that pioneered it. And Preston has thrived in recent years, Preston’s wider region has higher productivity than anywhere else in Lancashire, Merseyside or Cumbria. The big problem is local procurement spend is way too small to explain it. Preston Council’s entire budget is just under £30 million a year. That is less than half a percent of Preston’s GDP in 2023 of £6.2 billion. So why is Preston doing well? My colleague (and ex-Preston resident) @Michael_J_Hil explains it is down to the real Preston Model: homes and roads. - Preston has consistently smashed its centrally-imposed housing targets. - Since local housing targets were introduced in 2018, Preston has exceeded its target by a substantial margin every year. - And between 2021-2024, it had the highest overperformance in England. Building homes is often controversial. So how do Preston overcome NIMBYs? They leverage development to build roads. Local taxes on housebuilding, Central Govt incentives (New Homes Bonus), and land sales are all plowed into major local road projects. And even if locals are at best, indifferent to new homes, they are keen to see their local transport infrastructure upgraded. In some cases, new homes have unlocked projects that have been promised (but unfunded) for decades. Future housing growth is set to unlock a new railway station. Too often new homes are built, but infrastructure doesn't follow. And then we wonder why locals are opposed. Preston shows that when you can tie development to better roads (and soon railways), opposition melts away. In that sense, Preston is a model for the country. samdumitriu.com/p/the-truth-ab…

Sign the petition. britainremade.co.uk/mayors_power_t…

The North East should have the power to make decisions on its own transport infrastructure. Directly elected mayors should be able to approve, fund and deliver services like buses and trams, like they do in European countries that get this right.

Newcastle vs. Barcelona. English cities are getting battered by European ones when it comes to trams, light rail and public transport. Because mayors have to go to Westminster for money and permission to build. Give mayors the power to build - sign the petition below 👇

"If you really care about defending nature, you should care about what works." theguardian.com/books/2026/mar…

For @GuardianBooks, I argue that Britain's legal protections for nature are expensive, ineffective, and prevent us from building the infrastructure we need to tackle climate change. "Why do our environmental laws end up creating these bizarre situations? The problem is their inflexibility. They are designed to prevent specific harms caused by specific developments. This approach only makes sense if building is one of the main drivers of nature loss. But it isn’t, for a simple reason: we don’t, and almost certainly never will, do enough of it. Less than 6% of Britain is built on. If Labour succeeds in building 1.5m homes, the total amount of built-up land would only increase by a few hundredths of a percent. Even if you tripled the rate, it would take decades before even a tenth of Britain was built on. Far more of it, nearly two thirds, is dedicated to agriculture." theguardian.com/books/2026/mar…