Skills Matter in Place-Based Green Industrial Policy: Lessons From the Closure of MG Rover, 2000-2005

In this LPIP Hub report, Ed Atkins examines how the experiences of workers following the closure of MG Rover in Longbridge, Birmingham, offer lessons for green industrial policy today. He shows how proactive, place-based and skills-centred interventions helped mitigate the regional economic impacts of closure but also highlighted unequal economic outcomes for workers. Ultimately, he argues that future place-based green industrial policy must seek to both diversify regional economies and ensure robust, long-term skills pipelines to ensure workers aren’t left behind as high-emissions industries decline and others emerge. The case of MG Rover shows that skills programmes must be directly tied to long-term industrial demand, not standalone training programmes. Structured pathways can give workers a clear route into new green sectors, supporting their retraining and allowing them to access secure work.