Fuse boss attacks planning rules as a ‘self-imposed bottleneck for growth’ Energy Alan Chang believes Britain’s energy crisis is largely self-inflicted. The founder of Fuse Energy, the $5bn (£3.72bn) energy supplier and infrastructure developer, argues that the UK already has the ingredients needed to drive investment in the sector. What it lacks, he says, is a planning system capable of turning that potential into projects. “There is [...]
Drill baby brill: Why the UK must develop it’s North Sea oil fields Opinion In light of international crises like the war in Iran and the resulting energy price spikes, the UK’s fundamental energy vulnerability – its dependence on a volatile international market – can be solved by immediately approving further drilling in the North Sea, says Brandon Lewis Moments of crisis have a clarifying power that peacetime politics [...]
Lloyds fires bank tax warning shot as industry ‘ripe for cash grab’ Banking Lloyds Banking Group has warned the Treasury not to look at the banks for a tax raid as the industry sets its sights on booming profits in 2026. The FTSE 100 giant beat profit expectations by a cool £200m in the first-quarter after booking £2bn. This was also followed up by an upgrade to its [...]
How to tax in an energy crisis April 23, 2026 Whether the government wants to maximise North Sea oil extraction or home grown renewables, tax policy can help, says Tim Sarson Recent global events seem to have a knack of happening in places that send energy prices through the roof. Last time it was the loss of piped gas from Russia into Europe. Now it’s [...]
IMF downgrade Reeves is gaslighting voters on energy crisis April 15, 2026 Rachel Reeves is set to urge other countries to “follow her plan” for the energy crisis, but international analysts expect Britain to perform the worst among comparable nations thanks to decisions she has made, says Alys Denby The war in Iran has come at the worst possible time for a government already struggling to command [...]
UK must ‘urgently’ reopen North Sea drilling amid global volatility March 24, 2026 Households and businesses will be left even more exposed to geopolitical shocks like the one playing out in the Middle East unless the government “urgently” reopens the UK’s North Sea oil fields to new drilling projects, an industry body has warned. In its annual temperature check of Britain’s energy industry, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) called [...]
Trump’s call to pause strikes in Iran boosts markets March 23, 2026 Global markets leaped on news that President Trump paused strikes on Iranian infrastructure as he hinted that negotiations had been “very good and productive”. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – plunged back to below $100 per barrle after having jumped to $112 earlier in the day. The FTSE 100 also rose [...]
Reeves faces £20bn fiscal hole as energy crisis drives up costs March 22, 2026 Rachel Reeves is facing a potential £20bn shortfall in her spending plans as the Middle East energy crisis pushes up inflation, borrowing costs and pressure on public sector pay. The warning from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) comes as surging oil and gas prices begin to feed through into the wider economy, threatening to [...]