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The article fact-checks two statements made recently: one by Lee Anderson MP at a Reform UK conference about solar panels occupying thousands of square miles of farmland in the UK, which is inaccurate; and another false assertion that London’s white population has plummeted to 34%. The actual data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero shows that solar panels cover around 21,200 hectares or approximately 81.9 square miles, equivalent to about 0.1% of UK land area. For London's demographics, in 2021, 53.8% of people identified as white, including those categorized as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” and "White: Other."
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
At Reform UK’s party conference earlier this month, the party’s chair Lee Anderson MP claimed that solar panels cover "thousands of square miles" on farmland across the country. However, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), ground-mounted solar panels in the UK currently occupy an estimated 21,200 hectares or about 81.9 square miles, which is roughly 0.1% of the total land area of the UK. Researchers at Lancaster University provided a slightly lower estimate of up to 17,364 hectares or 67 square miles, with around 10,118 hectares (39 square miles) potentially having been previously used for farming. These figures show that Anderson’s statement is an overstatement and does not accurately reflect the current usage of farmland for solar panels in the UK.
Written for “Fact Check On Various Issues” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Solar panels don’t currently occupy ‘thousands of square miles’ of UK farmland
At Reform UK’s party conference earlier this month, the party’s chair Lee Anderson MP said in a Q&A session: “What we don’t want to see on farmers’ land is solar panels up and down the country.
asserted
want → occupy → country
This figure is not correct, and in fact it’s a substantial overstatement.
asserted
it → ’ → fact
Most land used for solar farms was previously agricultural land, but the total area of land estimated to be covered by them is much less than “thousands of square miles”.
asserted
area → use → miles
In September 2024, ground-mounted solar panels covered “an estimated 21,200 hectares (52,000 acres)” or “around 0.1 per cent of the total land area of the UK”, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
21,200 hectares is equivalent to approximately 81.9 square miles, or about 0.1% of the total UK land area of 24,438,000 hectares.
uncertain
hectares → mount → hectares
The DESNZ told Full Fact this remains its latest estimate.
asserted
this → tell → Fact
Last year researchers at Lancaster University produced a slightly lower estimate of up to 17,364 hectares, or 67 square miles.
asserted
researchers → produce → hectares
They estimated that of this, around 10,118 hectares (39 square miles) may have previously been arable or horticulture land.
uncertain
hectares → estimate → this
We contacted Mr Anderson for comment.
asserted
We → contact → comment
The amount of land used for solar is expected to increase in the coming years.
asserted
amount → use → years
The government’s UK Solar Roadmap sets out that “up to 0.4% of total UK land” could be required for solar by 2030, while other projections put potential land use as even higher.
uncertain
projections → set → use
But even the largest future estimates we’ve seen are less than the “thousands of square miles” referred to by Mr Anderson.
asserted
we → see → Anderson
London’s white population has not ‘plummeted to 34%’
asserted
population → plummet → %
That data, which was recorded in 2021, shows that at the time 53.8%, not 34%, of people in London identified as white.
asserted
% → record → London
This includes 36.8% who identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British”, plus a further 17% recorded as “White: Other”, which includes those who said they were white Irish, Gypsy or Irish Traveller, Roma or any other white background.
asserted
they → include → those
We’ve not found any more recent data reliably recording the ethnicity of London’s population, and no other credible evidence to support the 34% claim.
uncertain
We → find → claim
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