Delivering the UK’s Green Transition: “How to Electrify Britain: Policy, Politics, and the Path to Net Zero”…

Why is delivering the UK’s green transition proving so challenging? What does it really take to electrify Britain, and what political, economic, and social barriers stand in the way of reaching net zero? These are the pressing questions at the heart of Delivering the UK’s Green Transition: “How to Electrify Britain: Policy, Politics, and the Path to Net Zero”, a timely discussion led by Ben Westerman.

With extensive experience across the UK’s energy and environmental policy landscape, Ben Westerman brings a uniquely informed perspective. As Director of Energy and Industrial Policy at Public First, and formerly Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group, Head of Energy and Climate Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, and advisor to the Labour Party in Westminster, Westerman has helped shape and scrutinise the UK’s approach to decarbonisation from multiple angles. His work on the Green Technical Advisory Group, Green Jobs Delivery Group, and Transition Plans Taskforce offers rare insight into how policy ambition meets political reality.

In this talk, Ben will explore the complex path to electrifying Britain, from reforming infrastructure and investment frameworks to addressing public trust, policy coherence, and industrial competitiveness. Drawing on his advisory roles with Green Alliance and the Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group, he will unpack the tensions between long-term environmental goals and short-term political pressures.

This event will feature a lecture by the speaker, followed by a Q&A session and discussion. Students, academics, policymakers, and members of the public are invited to take part in this exchange of ideas, reflecting on what it will take to turn the UK’s net zero vision into reality, and the lessons that can be learned along the way.