Skills matter in place-based green industrial policy: Lessons from the closure of MG Rover, 2002 – 2005
Think tank: City-REDI
Author(s): Ed Atkins
March 3, 2026
This report from UK think tank City-REDI explores lessons from the closure of MG Rover 2002 – 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.
