RE: The first duty of any BOD is to the Company,4 Dec 2025 15:46
China - Imagine how shareholders would react if the Board of Directors prioritised sentiment over sound decision-making and insisted on building the plant in the UK. Fast-forward 24 months: the UK government will likely have released its fifth Critical Minerals Strategy, offered a token £20m to support domestic businesses, and continued debating policy from oak-panelled meeting rooms—while energy costs remain among the highest in the developed world. Meanwhile, the US government will have backed multiple projects with multi-billion-dollar investments, establishing a full mine-to-magnet supply chain and generating substantial national revenue.
As a UK citizen, I’m exhausted by the ongoing ineptitude shown by successive governments. The current group responsible for the UK’s industrial strategy are especially ineffective. Milliband, Kendall, and Kyle have no technical qualifications, no private-sector experience, and are career politicians. By contrast, China’s 24-member Politburo includes several highly accomplished engineers and scientists. It’s hardly surprising that we’re being left behind.
On a personal level, it saddens me to see the UK reduced to a shadow of its former industrial strength. But as a pragmatist, the Board has absolutely chosen the right path. They are on the verge of securing substantial underwriting from the US government and attracting interest from major US funds eager to participate. When you compare that to the challenge of persuading uninformed UK policymakers to offer minimal support—and investors who struggle to justify backing UK industry—the difference is stark. There really is no contest.