How a new government could transform the UK’s key engineering sectors

“Change starts now,” was the message from Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he celebrated Labour’s landslide election victory. But how will engineering change under the new government?

Cabinet ministers have already announced a raft of new developments, setting out clear new directions after 14 years of Conservative rule. Labour’s manifesto – the only one to explicitly use the word “engineering” – provides further clues to the changes we could see in the coming weeks, months and years.

Let’s take a closer look at what the most significant changes could be in four key areas of engineering.

Energy

One of the biggest early changes, announced yesterday (8 July) by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, is the end of what she called an “absurd” de facto ban on new onshore wind farms, in place since 2015.

“Delivering on our clean energy mission will help make the UK more energy independent, save money on energy bills, support highly skilled jobs and tackle the climate crisis. That’s why we are committing to doubling onshore wind power by 2030,” the policy statement said.

Industry body RenewableUK said the move would mean consumers would pay lower bills and energy security would increase.

“Lifting the ban on onshore wind in England is long overdue and we are delighted that Labour has made it one of its priorities in office. It shows the new government is determined to act quickly to tackle some of the long-standing barriers that have prevented the UK from developing vital new clean energy infrastructure,” said Chief Executive Dan McGrail.

He added that public support for onshore wind power stands at 78% and the onshore wind industry is “committed to ensuring that communities are properly consulted on any proposals, including the wide range of economic benefits they will deliver”.

He added: “Modern turbines are much more efficient and effective than those built in previous decades, so doubling the UK’s onshore wind capacity by 2030 will not mean doubling the number of turbines in the UK. We can generate more energy from fewer new turbines, and we can replace older turbines with much more powerful ones, making the most of our wonderful natural wind resource.

“Our research shows that delivering 30GW of onshore wind by the end of the decade would boost the economy by £45bn and create 27,000 jobs.”

Other priorities for Energy Secretary Ed Miliband include the creation of Great British Energy, a public company that will invest in clean energy projects, including new technologies such as floating wind and tidal power.

Rail

Labour’s rail plan, published in April, set out its main goals. The policy includes bringing train operators under public ownership and control and creating Great British Railways (GBR) to “achieve high standards in our rail services” and expand the use of rail freight.

However, rolling stock will not be renationalised under the reforms, and GBR will continue to lease it. “We will develop a long-term industrial strategy for rolling stock that supports UK manufacturing, innovation and interoperability, and is aligned with wider industry objectives,” the document reads.

Engineers working in this sector have other questions, the previous ones Professional Engineering analysis revealed, including the scale of investment and the future of Network Rail. Labour has previously said it would not revive plans for HS2 to run north of Birmingham.

The Railway Industry Association (RIA) congratulated the party on its election victory. “Labor is committed to creating a strong supply chain for the rail supply sector and developing a long-term industrial strategy for rolling stock,” said CEO Darren Caplan.

“The RIA and our members look forward to working with the new Government to deliver its goals for rail. With passenger numbers returning strongly and the UK rail industry set to move towards a fresh start, we are calling on the new Government to deliver on the five key demands of the RIA Manifesto, which we and our members set out in: publishing a long-term rail strategy; delivering reform of the rail industry; accelerating the procurement of new trains and modernising low-carbon networks; supporting a sustainable supply chain; and leveraging private investment.”

Education and skills

The manifesto commitments included a comprehensive post-16 education strategy and a guarantee of training, apprenticeships or support into work for all 18-21 year-olds. Other commitments include “Technical Excellence Colleges” which will work with businesses to provide “the highly skilled workforce that local economies need”.

“These ambitious education reforms will help to develop and grow a highly skilled engineering workforce ready to meet the demands of a modernised, technology-driven economy,” wrote Dr Laura Kent, Policy and Public Affairs Advisor at IMechE, in response to the election result.

“Engineers will benefit from improved training programs, greater collaboration with industry and stronger support for research and development.”

Elsewhere, EngineeringUK, an education and careers organisation, has called on the government to commit to investing in teachers’ professional development in the face of a “serious and growing” shortage of science teachers – more than 1,600 vacancies compared to around 1,300 a year ago.

Chief Executive Hilary Leevers said: “As the new Government has rightly recognised, we need to develop a stronger engineering and technology talent pool, including more apprenticeship opportunities for young people, to meet current demand, help our economy grow and achieve our net zero emissions target.

“For some time now, we have been calling for a national strategy for engineering and technology personnel that would streamline coherent actions and replace the current approach of different areas developing their own solutions in isolation and sometimes, effectively, in competition.

“To address the skills shortages of the future, the workforce strategy must be linked to a comprehensive education and skills plan, underpinned by improved careers advice in schools and urgently addressing the current shortages of STEM teachers. We will do all we can to support the new government in taking action to supercharge the sector.”

Building and construction services

Reform of the planning system is central to many of the government’s key targets, including delivering 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. Action will include identifying and unlocking “blocked sites” to accelerate the delivery of major housing projects, including four that could deliver 14,000 homes, and launching a “growth-focused” National Planning Policy Framework that will include mandatory housing targets and a requirement to review green belt boundaries.

Previous plans to insulate 19 million homes over the decade were slashed earlier this year as Labour scaled back planned green investment, with annual spending falling from £6bn to £1.3bn.

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The content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.