Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice has warned that Britain faces a return to 1970s-style rolling power cuts this winter, blaming the Government's pursuit of Net Zero for undermining energy security. In an opinion piece for the Daily Express, he said the UK's reliance on wind and solar power, combined with the closure of coal, gas and nuclear plants, has left the national grid vulnerable to blackouts.
Tice recalled the three-day working week introduced under Ted Heath due to coal miners' strikes, which plunged neighbourhoods into darkness and forced school children to do homework by candlelight. He said that while gas-fired electricity later brought stability, current policies have reversed that progress.
Leaked NESO document raises blackout concerns
Tice cited a leaked document from the government-owned National Energy System Operator (NESO) revealing that increasing reliance on wind, solar and batteries has made supply and demand forecasting more difficult, raising blackout risks and pushing up consumer bills. He quoted the whistleblower behind the leak as saying NESO is "flying blind, every minute of every day" in its ability to understand energy supply and demand.
He highlighted the problem of Dunkelflaute - windless, gloomy days common in winter - when power output from renewables plummets, forcing the grid to rely on emergency gas plants or expensive electricity imports from the EU. Tice warned that if Europe faces a cold snap, EU countries would prioritise domestic security over exports, leaving Britain with razor-thin supply margins.
Economic and human consequences
Tice argued that blackouts would cause global humiliation, disrupt financial markets, squander billions in lost output and spoiled inventory, and potentially lead to looting and civil unrest. He added that hospitals would rely on back-up generators and battery banks, and that "people will die as a direct result" if blackouts occur.
He called the gamble on an unproven power system "beyond reckless", comparing it to placing taxpayers' money on green at a roulette table.
Reform UK's proposed solutions
Tice said Reform UK would scrap Net Zero targets and abandon the Climate Change Act, which he claims has crippled the industrial base and driven up energy bills. He proposed fast-track licenses for North Sea oil and gas extraction, and fast-tracking new gas and nuclear power stations to secure continuous electricity.
He concluded by advising readers to "stock up on those candles, pronto" before the clocks go back next Sunday.
