How the UK destroyed its industry and a plan to reverse this 

By Catherine McBride OBE, David Turver, Brian Monteith 

This paper charts the history of the UK’s journey towards Net Zero, and why this will not be achievable even if the current policy destroys what is left of UK manufacturing. The paper explains the significant benefits that oil, gas, and coal still provide to the UK economy and how, by reducing government regulation and the UK’s many carbon taxes, the UK industry could be booming rather than declining – with consequential economic growth that benefits everyone.  

This paper is not about global warming or climate change, but about the UK’s Net Zero regulations and tax policies, which have devastated the UK economy, employment, and industrial production, without having any effect on global emissions. This paper explains why the UK’s Net Zero regulations and taxes should be re-examined to save the UK economy.

Access the paper here.

About the Authors: 

Catherine McBride OBE 
Catherine McBride is an economist specialising in trade. Catherine received her OBE for her work explaining economics and trade to both politicians and the public. Before working in trade policy, she was a derivatives trader covering global commodity markets from London. Catherine has written several think tank papers on economics, trade, and taxes; writes a Substack, Catherine McBride’s Substack; writes for the websites Briefings for Britain, Global Britain, and The Critic; and regularly appears on TV, radio, and podcasts. 

David Turver 
David Turver is a retired consultant, project management professional, and engineer who writes about net zero and energy policy. He is the author of the Eigen Values Substack. 

Brian Monteith 
Brian Monteith is a public relations consultant with over 40 years’ experience working domestically and internationally for both commercial and government clients, including assisting Nigeria with its submission to the Paris Agreement and the Scientific Alliance on challenging Net Zero policies. He has served in the Scottish and European parliaments and writes regular columns for The Daily Telegraph and The Scotsman newspapers.

KeyFacts Energy: Commentary