UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
Government aims to produce 10 % domestically, recycle 20 % and cap single-country sourcing at 60 % by 2035
The United Kingdom government has announced a far-reaching critical minerals strategy, designed to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign sources and strengthen national security.
The plan seeks to meet at least ten per cent of the UK’s demand for key minerals through domestic production, and recycle a further twenty per cent, by 2035. It also sets a target that no more than sixty per cent of any single critical mineral may be sourced from a single foreign country, thereby reducing exposure to supply-chain risk.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described critical minerals as “the backbone of modern life and our national security – powering everything from smartphones and fighter-jets to electric vehicles and wind turbines.” He emphasised that reducing reliance on a handful of overseas suppliers is essential to safeguarding the economy and driving down living costs.
A central focus of the policy is the mineral lithium, for which the strategy targets a domestic production baseline of at least fifty thousand tonnes annually within the decade.
The government projects UK demand for lithium will rise by eleven-hundred per cent by 2035, while demand for copper is expected to nearly double.
The strategy arrives in the context of China’s dominant position in global critical-minerals supply chains — the report notes China accounts for roughly seventy per cent of rare-earth mining and about ninety per cent of refining.
That dominance leaves the UK exposed to geopolitical shocks, sudden export restrictions and concentrated supply-chain vulnerabilities.
The new plan is supported by up to fifty million pounds of direct government investment, to be channelled into critical-minerals projects.
The announcement builds on previous efforts: the UK government has already committed more than one-hundred sixty-five million pounds to critical-minerals businesses, and leverages public-investment vehicles such as the National Wealth Fund and UK Export Finance to accelerate sector growth.
Beyond domestic production, the strategy outlines broader measures: strengthening recycling infrastructure, encouraging circular-economy practices, stockpiling key minerals via defence procurement, and expanding international partnerships with like-minded countries to diversify supply.
The government also intends to use its financial-services strength — particularly in London — to support responsible investment in critical-minerals value chains.
Industry and policy analysts have broadly welcomed the strategy as a necessary step to align mineral supply with the UK’s net-zero ambitions and industrial growth objectives.
However, observers say the success of the plan will depend on rapid development of mineral extraction, processing and recycling at scale, and effective regulatory frameworks that balance speed with environmental and community protections.
With demand for clean-energy technologies and advanced manufacturing set to surge, the UK’s new strategic posture signals a shift from reliance to resilience — turning critical-minerals policy into a pillar of national industrial strategy, economic security and future growth potential.
The plan seeks to meet at least ten per cent of the UK’s demand for key minerals through domestic production, and recycle a further twenty per cent, by 2035. It also sets a target that no more than sixty per cent of any single critical mineral may be sourced from a single foreign country, thereby reducing exposure to supply-chain risk.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described critical minerals as “the backbone of modern life and our national security – powering everything from smartphones and fighter-jets to electric vehicles and wind turbines.” He emphasised that reducing reliance on a handful of overseas suppliers is essential to safeguarding the economy and driving down living costs.
A central focus of the policy is the mineral lithium, for which the strategy targets a domestic production baseline of at least fifty thousand tonnes annually within the decade.
The government projects UK demand for lithium will rise by eleven-hundred per cent by 2035, while demand for copper is expected to nearly double.
The strategy arrives in the context of China’s dominant position in global critical-minerals supply chains — the report notes China accounts for roughly seventy per cent of rare-earth mining and about ninety per cent of refining.
That dominance leaves the UK exposed to geopolitical shocks, sudden export restrictions and concentrated supply-chain vulnerabilities.
The new plan is supported by up to fifty million pounds of direct government investment, to be channelled into critical-minerals projects.
The announcement builds on previous efforts: the UK government has already committed more than one-hundred sixty-five million pounds to critical-minerals businesses, and leverages public-investment vehicles such as the National Wealth Fund and UK Export Finance to accelerate sector growth.
Beyond domestic production, the strategy outlines broader measures: strengthening recycling infrastructure, encouraging circular-economy practices, stockpiling key minerals via defence procurement, and expanding international partnerships with like-minded countries to diversify supply.
The government also intends to use its financial-services strength — particularly in London — to support responsible investment in critical-minerals value chains.
Industry and policy analysts have broadly welcomed the strategy as a necessary step to align mineral supply with the UK’s net-zero ambitions and industrial growth objectives.
However, observers say the success of the plan will depend on rapid development of mineral extraction, processing and recycling at scale, and effective regulatory frameworks that balance speed with environmental and community protections.
With demand for clean-energy technologies and advanced manufacturing set to surge, the UK’s new strategic posture signals a shift from reliance to resilience — turning critical-minerals policy into a pillar of national industrial strategy, economic security and future growth potential.
