The British government did not ban the steam engine.

The government lost the fight that time. Marxists lost and capitalists won. The fight is still going with socialists trying to ban nuclear power plants.

Chiese engineers are building the first new nuclear power generator for Britain, because Britan got lazy and fat and decadent and forgot how to build things of value.

Because Britain became socialist. Statism is what drove them to become suicidal.