Stopping the Decline of British Sea Power

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, said in a speech in 2008 that he wanted to put ‘rocket boosters’ behind wave & tidal power. Rightly so - this technology could supply up to 20% of our electricity and employ up to 10,000 people by 2020. We need to expand our sources of clean, inexhaustible energy to avoid dependence on imported fossil fuels.

However, in Government he's done the opposite. Funding for marine energy has been halved, and there's a real danger that this industry will fail to live up to its potential.

It's time to remind David Cameron of his commitment. You can contact the Prime Minister via the No.10 Downing Street website. Select ‘Contact Prime Minister’s Office and fill in the form.

We've provided some example text below, but feel free to write your own!

Dear Prime Minister, This letter comes to you with a very simple message. I agree with what you said on June 16th 2008: “Britain's coastline is over 11,000 miles long and has some of the highest tidal ranges in the world. Tapping into this free, continually renewed energy source could provide us with up to 20 percent of our electricity needs.” "I am today committing a Conservative Government to making this research and development a priority for Britain - to put rocket boosters behind this area of research.” I am, however, worried that marine renewables are going to come crashing back down to Earth. By halving the funding for an industry in which we lead the world, your Government has made it very likely that it will be forced overseas – as has happened to so many British inventions in the past. We will lose the 20,000 jobs a fully developed industry could bring. You have the power to change that. Only your intervention at this late stage can ensure that British sea power rises again.