Industry claps back at Reform’s anti-solar rhetoric

Solar Energy UK

Embargo: 00:01 8 May 2026

“Britain’s solar industry is cutting energy bills with cheap, green power – and that’s worrying Nigel Farage,” says Chris Hewett, CEO of trade association Solar Energy UK.

The vast majority of Reform UK’s funding has come from fossil fuel interests.

In recent days, Reform-controlled councils have launched a legal challenge against the Springwell solar farm project in Lincolnshire. Solar Energy UK understands that Lincolnshire County Council has allocated £300,000 of public money for it, with North Kesteven adding £200,000.[1]

Farage has also said that the party intends to lodge similar challenges to large-scale solar projects and related overhead electricity pylon projects in Norfolk, relying on tired and false rhetoric about their impacts.[2] Even if unsuccessful, such actions will delay the transition away from pricey natural gas, hitting bill-payers in the pocket.

To correct his misleading comments:

• Solar farms are installed for a set period of time, according to their planning conditions. They are not permanent structures.
• They are designed to minimise their impacts on the landscape.[3]
• As the RSPB, Cambridge University and independent ecologists have confirmed, solar farms can be havens for wildlife, with many rare and declining species common sights on them.[4,5]
• The greatest threat to food security is climate change. Hit by drought, heat and one of the worst harvests on record, British arable farms lost £800m last year.[6] Conversely, solar farms improve food security by providing a dependable income to farmers, keeping them in the business of food production.[7]
• Solar farms take up a tiny proportion of the UK’s land – about 16% of that used for golf courses, according to one estimate.[8] An academic study using satellite imaging – considered to be the most reliable methodology – found that solar farms took up only around 0.06%–0.07% of UK land.[9]
• Slowing the pace of the energy transition will prolong the UK’s vulnerability to geopolitical incidents causing a spike in the cost of natural gas, which is linked closely to the price of electricity. Solar farms are the cheapest source of power.[10]
• Projects such as Springwell offer substantial economic benefits. Aside from paying large amounts in business rates to local authorities and creating jobs in construction and operation, they will also offer significant payments to nearby communities.[11] In the case of Springwell, this comes to £320,000 per year.[12]

Reform’s fossil-fuelled funding

Reform has accepted £26.7m from climate change deniers and fossil fuel investors since its inception as the Brexit Party in 2019 – about three quarters of its entire £36m income, according to recent research by Desmog.[13] The sum includes including £2m from its property millionaire deputy leader Richard Tice, who has dismissed carbon dioxide as nothing more than “plant food” and over £22m from Christopher Harborne, a Thai-based billionaire who owns an aviation fuel supplier.

“Renewables are growing fast around the world, so it’s no wonder that some people involved in fossil fuels are jumping on the dangerous bandwagon of the far right in a vain attempt to reverse a trend that is inevitable as it is irreversible,” said Hewett.

“Reform isn’t fighting for the British people. They are acting in the interests of their fossil-fuelled funders, wasting public money and damaging local economies in the process. Just think what £500,000 could be spent on right now, or what £320,000 a year could fund for decades. I am sure most people would rather see more teachers employed and potholes filled, rather than undermining the vital quest for cheap, clean power,” he added.

[1] Councils seek to challenge decision on UK’s largest solar farm – North Kesteven District Council

[2] Reform UK would fight plans for huge Norfolk solar farms – Eastern Daily Press Landscape

[3] Everything Under the Sun: The Facts About Solar Energy – Solar Energy UK

[4] Solar farms managed for nature can boost bird numbers and biodiversity – RSPB

[5] MPs back solar farms’ biodiversity benefits – Solar Energy UK

[6] UK farmers lose £800m after heat and drought cause one of worst harvests on record – The Guardian

[7] Solar Farms & Food Security: The Facts – Solar Energy UK

[8] Countries across the world use more land for golf courses than wind or solar energy – Jann Michael Weinand et al 2025 Environmental Research Communications 7 021012

[9] Researchers use satellite imagery to shed light on UK solar farm land use

[10] Large-scale solar provides cheapest power, says Government report – Solar Energy UK

[11] The Economic Impact of Solar and Battery Storage – Solar Energy UK

[12] Springwell Solar Farm

[13] Revealed: Reform’s £24 Million from Fossil Fuel Interests – Desmog

– ENDS –

Editor’s notes:

For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

Gareth Simkins, Senior Communications Adviser

gsimkins@solarenergyuk.org

news@solarenergyuk.org | solarenergyuk.org

About Solar Energy UK: Solar Energy UK is the largest trade association representing the solar and battery storage sector. It represents over 400 member organisations. Its membership includes companies working across both rooftop and ground-mounted solar – delivering projects that contribute to a clean, secure energy system and help reduce energy bills for homes and businesses.

 [AO1]Can we just focus on the industry defence? Think we’re strong enough being solar positive and the JR public money hook feels solid