**Battle Over Green Energy: Reform UK Takes a Stand Against Net-Zero Projects**
In a bold declaration, leaders from Reform UK in Lincolnshire have announced a full-scale war on green energy projects, specifically targeting wind and solar farms as well as battery storage facilities. During a press conference in Boston, prominent figures including MP Richard Tice, Mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns, and Councillor Sean Matthews expressed their vehement opposition to what they describe as the ’madness’ of net-zero goals, which they believe are detrimental to both the county and the country.
Tice criticized the government’s net-zero policies, attributing rising electricity prices to these initiatives. He stated, “It is an absolute outrage what the madness of net stupid zero is doing to our county, as well as to our country.” In response, the government emphasized the importance of green energy for ensuring energy security, countering that rising energy bills stem from the UK’s dependence on unstable gas markets.
The campaign, named LORE (Lincolnshire opposes renewable eyesores), aims to utilize every possible resource to halt the development of significant green energy infrastructure in the area, which includes plans for extensive solar farms and a series of pylons connecting Grimsby to Walpole in Norfolk. Tice’s comments were echoed by Dame Andrea, who asserted that the fight against these projects resembled historical military struggles, calling it a battle to protect Lincolnshire’s pristine countryside. She stated, “We are the bread basket that feeds Britain, so I ask why would any government put our nation’s food security in jeopardy because of mass-scale solar farms?”
Critics, including Labour MP Melanie Onn, argue that Reform’s stance threatens thousands of local jobs, particularly in the growing green sector which, according to Onn, employs around 12,500 people in Greater Lincolnshire. Onn condemned the party’s opposition as contradictory to the interests of economic growth within the region.
Despite the opposition from Reform UK, the government maintains that the planned renewable projects will only occupy a minimal portion of UK land by 2030 and should prioritize brownfield sites. In a provocative statement, Jenkyns declared that fossil fuels should remain a significant part of the UK’s energy strategy, paraphrasing former President Donald Trump to advocate for expanding oil and gas production, leading to her mantra of “drill baby drill” by the next election in 2029. The battle lines have been drawn, and with significant implications at stake, Lincolnshire finds itself at the center of a fierce national debate over the future of energy in the UK.