Reform UK mayor pulled up for ‘hypocritical’ attack on solar farms

Reform’s Andrea Jenkyns has launched an attack on the UK’s latest ‘solar project’:

Another stitch-up, a nearly 3500 acre solar farm in Lincolnshire has just been signed off by Milliband to be near Gainsborough/Glentworth. What about food security. Farmland should be for Food. https://t.co/JssTxX8VGy pic.twitter.com/SzZ9IODwab

— Dame Andrea Jenkyns DBE 🇬🇧 (@andreajenkyns) October 14, 2025

She’s facing some criticism for this, as it turns out she was once something of a solar head herself:

You love a solar farm. pic.twitter.com/HbmMIlvXJv

— Ian Barnes (@Ianbarnes2001) October 14, 2025

Consequently, people are suggesting she’s only attacking solar farms now because Reform have decided it’s a winning wedge issue (that or because their fossil fuel donors want them to).

Farm land for the farmers?

Reform’s argument is pretty straight forward and easy to agree with at face value, which is that ‘farm land should be used for farming’. Does the argument hold up, however?

In a fact sheet on solar farms and agricultural land, Solar Energy UK note the key consideration for any solar project is whether it’s nearby to a “viable grid connection”. While lower grade or brownfield is preferable, they note that most such plots are “small scale” and assigned to pre-existing projects. This means projects will often consider usable farmland.

In a BBC article, farmers highlighted that they could make significant money by renting out their land to solar projects, and yet many choose not to. In the same article, Chris Hewett of Solar Energy UK said:

We need less than half a percent of UK land, for a fully decarbonised energy grid.

That is the amount of land we use for golf courses – and less than we use for airports.

Others have made a similar point:

Far more space is taken up by golf courses than ground mounted solar in many countries

Via @CarbonBrief https://t.co/jn2Dh8sLEJ pic.twitter.com/a2k9B3OYLx

— Philip Oldfield (@SustainableTall) August 30, 2025

In an article on the project Jenkyns highlighted – the largest such project in the UK – energy minister Michael Shanks said:

Families across Lincolnshire and the rest of the country have seen their energy bills go through the roof as a result of our exposure to volatile gas prices.

Solar is one of the cheapest and quickest power sources we can build, it is crucial in our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower – giving us energy security, good jobs and growth across the country.

While an increased capacity for renewable energy should bring down energy bills, it may be offset by the government allowing US tech companies to build AI data centres over here. On the plus side, it will mean we can generate worthless videos like the following at a slightly faster clip:

It’s hard to shake the feeling that jailbreaking post-Sora 2 comes with a non-zero chance of starting a war or international incident. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/uDpMk050sw

— Sherpa (@LLMSherpa) October 15, 2025

Regardless of the finer points, many view Reform as being cynical on this issue, and it’s not hard to see why:

Reform don’t want a net-zero future apparently.

But two of their most senior people are investors in the industry…? pic.twitter.com/x7dZeBzkau

— Dale Vince (@DaleVince) February 15, 2025

Mayor of Hull, Reform UK’s @luke11campbell used to support solar energy companies in the region.

Then he got orders from above*.

*sponsored by the fossil fuel lobby.

— Reform Party UK Exposed 🇬🇧 (@reformexposed) August 9, 2025

Ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe was literally making money off solar farming:

Reform UK’s @RupertLowe10 owns farmland. Contrary to his party’s outrage, he’s covered a chunk of it with solar.

Rupert’s even claiming £60k’s worth of subsidies for it. pic.twitter.com/h6DnRcfSSK

— Reform Party UK Exposed 🇬🇧 (@reformexposed) December 17, 2024

Jenkyns herself made herself the face of solar:

Hi @andreajenkyns, people aren’t going to forget that you opened a 20 acre solar farm on farm land in Yorkshire.

So stop with the hypocritical campaigning.https://t.co/jQVXDzZURc pic.twitter.com/VpC3SHe72M

— Reform Party UK Exposed 🇬🇧 (@reformexposed) October 14, 2025

It’s no wonder she can’t sleep at night; she’s no doubt been worried that the solar photo shoot would get out:

🎤 Dame Andrea Jenkyns entered the Reform UK conference singing a song that she co-wrote called Insomnia and wearing a sparkly blue jumpsuit.

Jenkyns said: “Is this godawful Labour Government giving you sleepless nights and insomnia too?” pic.twitter.com/MJjDolmdsr

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) September 5, 2025

A desire to keep these images hidden may be why she asked for a bigger mayoral team despite promising to cut costs before being elected, although that is of course speculation.

Decisions

With anything like this, there are pros and cons.

If we can get cheaper electricity while drastically improving our air quality and carbon footprint, that seems like a pretty good deal if all we have to lose is as much land as we currently dedicate towards golf. We’re not immune to the arguments against losing farm land, however, which is why we’d like to suggest nationalising Britain’s golfing infrastructure to dedicate the land towards renewable energy.

Now that would really wind up Reform’s wealthy donors.

Featured image via X/Twitter