You couldn’t make it up. The Ferret‘s recent exposure of the Britain Remade group, a supposedly, self-described ‘grassroots’ pro-nuclear group has tow directors both of whom are directors at Stonehaven Group Holdings Limited.
Stonehaven‘s lobbying work for clients includes EDF (a major French nuclear energy company that owns Torness power station in Scotland and stands to benefit from lifting the nuclear ban).
Who are they?
Pandora Lefroy has worked at Stonehaven for over ten years and is currently the firm’s managing partner.
Rachel Wolf is the chief executive of Public First (a consultancy firm acquired by Stonehaven in 2025), and she now sits on the board of the wider Stonehaven Group Holdings Limited.
While we’re here, just how reliable is French nuclear power?
On June 16th 2022, Reuters and the New York Times (headline below) reported that in France- frequently cited by nuclear lobbyists as a successful example of nuclear investment- at least 50% of nuclear reactors were off-line as a result of corrosion.
The same report confirmed that the struggle to complete the construction of the now notorious EPR reactor at Flammanville was 4 times over budget (nearly 13Billion Euros) and over 10 years late. Failure of materials and welding were cited as the key problems.
The implications for the UK government’s similar project at Hinckley Point in Somerset are stark reminders of the fundamental problems associated with nuclear power: faulty designs, failure of materials, containment and welding and – above all- insurmountable corrosion. Its lethal vulnerability to natural disasters (Fukushima) , human error (Dounreay, Sellafield, Chernobyl) and missile attack (Zaporizhzhia) is a separate but very serious issue.
Nuclear protagonists also refuse to acknowledge the unimaginable costs of decommissioning and nuclear waste disposal. In 1976, Westminster accepted the findings of the “Flowers Report” that “There should be no commitment to a large programme of nuclear fission power until it has been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that a method exists to ensure the safe containment of long-lived highly radioactive waste for the indefinite future” .
In 2022 the UK government still has no proven method for safe storage of high level nuclear waste. On the contrary, highly radioactive, potentially lethal particles of nuclear spent fuel now contaminate the beaches and sea-bed around Dounreay in Caithness. According to SEPA- they are irretrievable. At Sellafield there are leaking ponds of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel rods for which there is still no solution. That kind of environmental destruction- for most people- makes nuclear power an unacceptable risk. The days of Scottish communities being nominated as expendable areas for such experiments with nuclear, fracking or any other gamble with safety- are over.
There is -indeed- an alternative, cleaner, safer and more reliable future.
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Talking-up Scotland 
As soon as the words ”nuclear power” are uttered I immediately think …”lies , lies and more lies !’
Since we were duped by the UK Government in the 1950’s with ”nuclear power too cheap to meter ..” the nuclear industry has been feeding off the Public teat to the tune of hundreds of £billions , and with the new Hinkley Point power station likely to suck up another 35 -40 £billions in subsidy there is no end to the shafting that we , the Public , are receiving from the Nuclear Industry .
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The BritNits, if they can’t dispose if it in deep sea locals, are more than happy to ship it to Scotland.
And their PUPPET parties do just what they are told.
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Westminster spends £13Billion a year decommissioning nuclear. Ten years £130Billion.
Nuclear waste is being flown around the world for disposal. The French nuclear station was years late and over budget. The Finnish nuclear station was years late and billions over budget. Chernobyl has a cover for 100 years? Hinkley Point years late and over budget. Subsidised.
Scotland is the best place in the world for renewables. Wind, water, hydro, solar, sea. Scotland in surplus in fuel and energy, nearer the source, but pays more.
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Britain Remade ‘grassroots’ organisation ?
“Grassroots” is defined as being something that is formed and so used by individuals as a way to communicate or campaign that they, as an organised group, either oppose or support something, it is then assumed that they are all- ordinary people , that are regarded as the main body of an organisation’s membership.
There is an argument made by some that Britain Remade is considered as a Tory think-tank and lobby group campaigning on behalf of nuclear power.
Their current Campaign Director and CEO – a former special advisor at No.10 Downing Street.
Their Head of Policy – worked at a range of Westminster think tanks.
Their Head of Communications – was formerly a media Special Adviser to the Prime Minister with responsibility for regional media and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
In May 2025 Mike Small did an article about them in Bella Caledonia entitled as:
“Who are Britain Remade” ?
This was prompted by an article that had been in “The Scotsman newspaper with a front-page splash all about how ‘SNP voters back nuclear power’ by Deputy Political Editor David Bol and Alexander Brown”.
Bella C wrote that “the article was replete with quotes from Labour MSP for East Lothian, Martin Whitfield, Scottish Conservative MP, John Lamont, who said the Scottish Government embracing nuclear power would be “basic common sense”.
“Then there’s a quote from Sam Richards, founder and campaign director for Britain Remade who, it turns out commissioned the poll and was also enthusiastically pro-nuclear”.
“What The Scotsman didn’t explain though, was who ‘Britain Remade’ are? They’re presented as if they’re maybe pollsters or some independent think-tank”.
So Mike Small noted that “So here we have the Scotsman giving over its front-page to a Tory lobby group to promote their campaign. On the same day they published a similar piece in the Telegraph “SNP senseless nuclear ban damaging Scotland so it’s really working for them”.
Mike Small concludes “This is not just a question of client journalism, it’s a question of how far right-wing forces, often working with dark money, will attempt to derail even the most modest (and completely inadequate) environmental policies”.
“Quite why Saudi funded Tony Blair should jump on the anti Net Zero bandwagon is anybody’s guess, but it’s quite clear there is a coordinated pro-nuclear lobbying group in action in Scotland that pans across the Conservatives and Labour parties, and is supported by astroturf groups and pliant media friends. Watch this space for more on the new nuclear lobby”.
However Bella C, also exposed how the media were complicit in pumping out their, Britain Remade, propaganda , but on behalf of whom ?
Well not Scotland or it’s people, that’s for bloody sure.
Indeed it’s almost as if we , within Scotland , did not have a robust renewable energy sector that we could rely upon , going forward, for all of our future energy needs and requirements.
“Scotland has established itself as a renewable energy powerhouse, with the capacity and potential to not only sustain its own energy needs but also to serve as a major exporter of green energy to the rest of the UK and Europe” (Sourced via Innovation News Network January 2025 article headed as “UK renewable energy hits record highs: Which regions lead the charge”? ).
However it seems that certain ‘messengers’ (Britain Remade) who promote the ‘nuclear message’ do so for alternate reasons that have pig all to do with saving us, the Scottish public, any money as energy consumers…….but as for making money for others …..well sure, that is a big bloody tick.
Liz S
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