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 [...]
Eon: UK sales suffer £800m slump as prices fall July 1, 2025 Turnover at the UK arm of energy giant Eon has slumped by more than £800m thanks to a fall in wholesale commodity prices, it has been revealed. The Coventry-headquartered division of the German group, has reported a turnover of £2.5bn for 2024, down from the £3.3bn it achieved in 2023. But despite the fall in [...]
Winter fuel payments: there is a better way to help with energy bills June 24, 2025 Instead of subsidising bills according to age, we should make sure no one is spending more than 10 per cent of their household income on keeping warm, says Eon CEO Chris Norbury Despite recent improvements, energy bills remain around 60 per cent higher than before the crisis, with typical households still paying £1,720 annually. At [...]
Nationalising British Steel won’t help the UK’s dying industry April 9, 2025 Nationalising British Steel is a painting-over-the-cracks solution. The real problem is energy prices, writes Elinor Bale.
Cut taxes for BP and Shell to protect UK from Trump’s trade war, Rachel Reeves told February 6, 2025 Oil giants such as BP and Shell who operate in the North Sea should be given huge tax breaks to help protect the UK against Donald Trump’s burgeoning trade war, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been told. Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce is calling on the UK government to reduce the 78 per cent tax [...]
Octopus Energy: Profit slashed as Greg Jackson’s giant battles rising costs February 4, 2025 Profit has been slashed at Octopus Energy as rising costs and falling sales ate into its margin during the giant’s latest financial year. For the 12 months to 30 April, 2024, the group reported a net profit of £83m, down from the £203m it posted in the prior year. Its revenue also dipped from £12.54bn [...]
Utilita Energy profit to fall as sales slashed by £700m January 3, 2025 The owner of Utilita Energy has warned its profit will fall because of an “increasing obligation to support customers with higher bills”. Luxion Group, which owns the Eastleigh-based supplier, added that its resources “continue to be stretched” despite its pre-tax profit increasing from £31.2m to £43m in the year to 31 March, 2024. Utilita Energy [...]
Ofgem: Energy price cap to rise by £21 to £1,738 a year on average November 22, 2024 The UK’s energy price cap is set to rise by £21 for an average household, taking a standard yearly bill to £1,738, Ofgem has said. The energy regulator opted to announce a 1.2 per cent hike in the cap for the period January to March 2025 – or £1.75 a month, on average. It sets [...]