The Modern Industrial Strategy (2025) and the East of England

Another week, another weighty policy document has arrived with a thud. The Modern Industrial Strategy builds upon the 2024 Green Paper by outlining a 10-year plan to boost investment, create jobs, and foster growth in eight key sectors, five of which are supported by detailed plans with the remainder, including Life Sciences, yet to be completed. It’s a large document with some 600 pages and Technical Annexes. If you are daunted by the prospect of wading through the detail, fear not. We have provided this pithy summary for those of you seeking a quick heads up.

The UK has a mixed track record with industrial strategy. While the country has a strong history of innovation and is a leader in certain sectors, it has faced challenges in translating that into consistent economic growth and productivity improvements through industrial policies. As noted in the foreword, Britain has, paradoxically, stood back when industries have struggled and interfered too much when new opportunities present themselves - too regulated or too cautious to take advantage.

This strategy has a stated mission to make the UK the most investible country in the world. In doing so it brings together a focus on both industries and place. Recognizing that growth will need to happen in all parts of the country and that different places will have different potential and different roles to play. Success will therefore hinge not on national ambitions but on how it empowers the regions.

For the East of England, this is a strategic opportunity. With world-leading capabilities in clean energy, agri-tech, life sciences, digital innovation, and the creative industries, the region is well-positioned to drive—and benefit from—the new industrial age. But capitalising on this moment will require bold, joined-up thinking from regional leaders and Westminster alike.

The ambition for the UK to be a more productive, innovative, resilient and inclusive economy is underpinned by the proposed transformational shift towards:

• Green energy

• Data and digital transformation

• Life sciences and health innovation

• Resilient place leadership

• Public service modernisation

Importantly, this is not a strategy driven by abstract growth targets. Instead, it focuses on building institutional capability, leveraging public-private collaboration, and enabling regions to tailor solutions to local strengths and challenges.

The region’s economy embodies many of the themes running through the new strategy. It combines deep scientific capacity with high-growth sectors and a varied geographic economy—stretching from coastal energy hubs to inland research powerhouses.

1. Energy: Driving the Green Transition: The region is home to the UK’s largest cluster of offshore wind farms along the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts, and hosts major nuclear assets including Sizewell B and the proposed Sizewell C. These make the East a clean energy powerhouse, integral to meeting net zero goals and stabilising electricity costs for UK businesses. The strategy’s emphasis on energy resilience, grid modernisation, and decarbonisation aligns directly with the region’s priorities. There are also opportunities to advance local skills pipelines in green construction and energy technologies, with local colleges and universities already playing a role.

2. Agri-tech: Innovation Rooted in the Land: East Anglia’s fertile landscape is matched by its leading-edge agri-tech research. Institutions like Niab, and Norwich Research Park are pioneering sustainable farming, food security, and AI in agriculture. The strategy's support for place-based innovation and resilient supply chains could supercharge the East’s status as an agri-tech testbed—especially through pilot projects, digital farming zones, and data-driven food systems.

3. Life Sciences and Health Innovation: Cambridge continues to anchor the UK’s globally competitive life sciences sector. The presence of pharmaceutical giants, biotech SMEs, and public health researchers enables clinical translation at scale. The strategy’s focus on health innovation as a national strength aligns with the East’s ecosystem, offering routes for new public-private R&D funding, translational trials, and regional health equality pilots.

4. Digital and Tech: Scaling Creative and Smart Futures: Beyond Cambridge, emerging tech clusters in Chelmsford, Colchester and Ipswich are scaling up in AI, fintech, and digital design. These towns are increasingly linked by innovation corridors and supported by universities and local initiatives. The East’s smaller urban centres can benefit from national investment in digital infrastructure, regulatory sandboxes, and workforce retraining schemes.

5. Creative Industries: Culture Meets Innovation: The East’s creative economy is underpinned by screen industries (e.g. Elstree Studios), digital marketing firms, and heritage institutions in cities like Norwich. The strategy’s commitment to supporting distributed creative clusters, alongside intellectual property commercialisation and regional media production, positions the East to attract content investment and talent development.

6. Manufacturing: High-Value and Future-Focused: Manufacturing remains a vital part of the East of England’s economic landscape, particularly in high-value sub-sectors like aerospace, pharmaceuticals, automotive components, and advanced engineering. Areas such as Stevenage, Luton, and Basildon are home to globally integrated supply chains and export-intensive manufacturing firms. The strategy’s focus on resilient supply chains, digital adoption, and decarbonisation of industry provides a timely opportunity to modernise facilities, invest in workforce upskilling, and attract inward investment to strengthen the region’s manufacturing base.

Devolution and the Role of Mayors

A key feature of the 2025 strategy is the belief that effective economic leadership must be local. The government pledges to work in long-term partnership with Mayors and combined authorities, providing more certainty in funding, clearer accountability, and devolved powers over transport, skills and investment.

For the East—where devolution has been patchy—there is both a challenge and an opportunity. Areas like Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have Mayoral Combined Authorities, but other parts of the region must either secure deeper deals or risk falling behind. Unlocking the region’s full potential will require sustained advocacy for greater fiscal autonomy and long-term funding settlements.

From Ambition to Action

The Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy outlines a vision of a smarter, greener, more inclusive economy. But it is clear that success will depend on regional initiative. For the East of England, the pieces are already on the board—leading universities, future-facing industries, clean energy, and a resilient entrepreneurial culture.

The next step is to join them up. That means aligning local plans with national missions, investing in public service innovation, and putting forward bold proposals for devolved powers. In doing so, the East can not only deliver on the UK’s ambitions but shape its own economic future.