Yorkshire Post Opinion Piece: We need post-election proactivity from our politicians to secure growth

Published in the Yorkshire Post 19/05/2026

As the dust settles on the outcomes of local elections throughout the country, politicians, the public and businesses are left to consider the implications of a catastrophic but largely predictable result for the Government. Many breathed a temporary sigh of relief that it was over, only to bang their heads on the desk at the prospect of another wave of instability due to infighting and the destabilisation of a leadership that had already seemed too nervous to get anything meaningful done.

Local political dynamics and electoral statistics are usually considered something that only those within the famed ‘Westminster Bubble’ care about. However, recent years have demonstrated that this ongoing psycho-drama has far-reaching consequences for jobs, families and communities. Now this election has passed, we’re at a crossroads where politicians needs to choose proactivity and growth ahead of indecision and stagnation, as well as ahead of their own political ambitions.

The huge impact that politics and elections have on our region and its businesses can be clearly seen in the energy sector which is vital to Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire. The politicians that we elect at local, mayoral and parliamentary level have a vital role to play in shaping, promoting and defending this region, its industry and its people. But elections themselves can also cause a change of policy direction or delay announcements which businesses anticipate prior to investing.

A clear example is the Government’s Hydrogen Strategy. This is likely to contain not only its updated policies and targets but also the guidelines and processes which energy companies in the Humber require before entering the £500m competition for the UK’s first regional hydrogen infrastructure.

Originally due to be published in Autumn 2025, it was initially put on hold due to concern in the Treasury around backing low carbon investment at a time of increasing energy bills. Hit by the ongoing crisis in the Gulf, the Mandelson scandal and plummeting opinion polls, Kier Starmer’s team had become increasingly nervous about announcing new policies in the run up to an election which was rightly expected to have major consequences for his Government’s future. As a result, nearly a year later, the Hydrogen Strategy remains unpublished and no longer even has a target date. The associated multi-billion pounds of investment and thousands of jobs which could have come to our region have stalled as a result.  

The same can be said for the region’s Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) projects, which have been waiting to hear about Track-1 East Coast Cluster expansion and Track-2 Viking anchor announcements for far too long. Meanwhile, Teesside is busy building theirs equivalent, with £1.5bn awarded to UK contractors and 175 local students already given training opportunities as a result.

The impact of delay is far more serious than it initially looks. Such projects can take 3-5 years to move from concept stage, through funding competitions, past financial decision gates and board approvals, to the point of construction – and then several more years until operation. There are plenty more bumps in the road that can be encountered along the way, but the biggest mountain to ascend in the distance is the 2029 General Election.

Based on current opinion polls and this local election, 2029 could see a complete overhaul and reframing of the UK’s political landscape. Reform is poised to take the levers of Government, with the Conservatives holding the balance in a hung parliament, whilst Labour is reduced to a fringe party. Given the overtly anti-low carbon stance of Reform’s leadership and the fact that the Conservatives have now abandoned the net zero policies that their Government had previously introduced, this doesn’t bode well for the Humber’s (nor the UK’s) hopes to become the flagship hub for clean energy. Even in the event of Labour clinging to power, their Government is likely to be paralysed by indecision for at least six months either side of an election.

The result is that energy companies are in a race against time to get projects approved and spades in the ground before the tide turns. Every day that passes without the publication of policies due to the Government’s fear of voter retribution, is a day that reduces the likelihood of these projects ever happening. Major companies are already cutting back on resources, local assets and head count in anticipation. Unless there is swift action in the coming months, many may walk away entirely.

Whichever side of the fence one is on politically or on the climate change debate, it is clear that the lack of direction, ongoing delays and fear of political upheaval has a major impact on investor confidence. It means billions of pounds going elsewhere, thousands of jobs being unrealised, local supply chain contracts not materialising, and our young peoples’ futures left more uncertain.   

Of course, elections can also provide us with the spokespeople that we need to hold the Government to account. Our region’s MPs and Councillors do a fantastic job to keep the pressure on, asking questions in Parliament, hosting Ministerial visits and signing formal demands for action. But more can always be done, and we’re at the point where we need to pull out all the stops.

With this election over, the votes counted, the results clear, it is time for our region’s politicians to come together and push for action before it is too late.

-          Richard Royal is Managing Director of Lionheart Public Affairs, a political, stakeholder and communications consultancy; he was previously UK Head of Public Affairs & Communications for Equinor