UK economy held back by ‘rationing’ of energy, land and capital March 4, 2026 The government must focus on “ending the rationing” of the UK’s energy, land and capital if it wants to reinvigorate the economy, according to a leading City analyst. In a research note published this morning, Simon French, head of research at Panmure Liberum, argued that policies from successive governments had effectively created a rationing system [...]
Spring Statement: Rachel Reeves ‘in denial’ as growth slumps March 4, 2026 Rachel Reeves has been accused of being “in denial” as she insisted that her economic plan was working even as growth forecasts were slashed and unemployment was predicted to surpass pandemic-era highs. Responding to yesterday’s Spring Statement, shadow chancellor Mel Stride said Labour’s economic agenda, which has raised the tax burden to a post-war high, [...]
Reeves delivers Spring Statement as war rages and markets tremble March 3, 2026 Spare a thought for Rachel Reeves. She had hoped to make a Spring Statement that nobody noticed and yet today she has to deliver it as war rages in the Middle East, triggering warnings of energy price shocks, instability and inflation. There is a very real prospect that the economic forecasts to which the Chancellor [...]
Household energy prices to fall by 7 per cent from April 1 February 25, 2026 The price most households pay for energy will fall by 7 per cent from April 1, driven by the Government’s promised £150 cut to the average bill, Ofgem said. The regulator’s price cap will drop from the current £1,758 to £1,641 – a reduction of around £10 a month for the average household using both [...]
Government injects £120m into Ineos’s Grangemouth plant December 17, 2025 The government has piled over £100m into Britain’s last remaining ethylene plant in Grangemouth, saving hundreds of livelihoods after its owner warned that sky-high energy costs had left it on the brink of closure. Ministers inked a “landmark partnership” with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos on Wednesday to secure the future of the Falkirk plant, which [...]
Sir Jim Ratcliffe: Act now or five million jobs will be lost October 9, 2025 Sir Jim Ratcliffe has called on Europe’s leaders to save the continent’s chemicals industry or risk losing millions of jobs. The founder and chairman of Ineos has urged politicians to make an “eleventh-hour intervention” at what he has described as a “moment of reckoning” for the industry. Sir Jim, who is also known as a [...]
Bank of England’s Mann calls for sustained interest rate hold October 1, 2025 The Bank of England’s Catherine Mann has called for interest rates to be held where they are for longer before making a larger cut to revive the sluggish growth outlook, citing a recent spike in consumer inflation expectations as evidence price rises were embedding into the economy. The external Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member known [...]
Does Bank Rate really control inflation? September 26, 2025 Despite the Bank of England’s claim that Bank Rate controls inflation, recent policy decisions — including cutting rates while inflation stayed high — suggest the relationship is weak, inflation is more persistent than expected, and the MPC may be underestimating how hard it is to bring prices down, says Paul Ormerod The Bank of England [...]
Energy tycoon fires up UK gas storage project September 22, 2025 An Irish energy tycoon has revealed plans to build a new gas storage site in the Irish Sea that would boost the UK’s capacity by over 50 per cent. Tony O’Reilly Jr’s Dcarbonx, which is backed by gas infrastructure behemoth Snam, wants to redevelop a former gas site off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness as part [...]
Kemi is right: markets not ministers should determine energy policy September 2, 2025 The UK’s policy of using massive subsidies to support politically-favored green technologies has resulted in some of the highest energy prices in the developed world, and the government should instead foster a competitive, technology-neutral market to drive down costs and encourage innovation, says Matthew Bowles “We are in the absurd situation where our country is [...]