Has the wind shifted on Net Zero? October 2, 2025 Once upon a time the promise of Net Zero enjoyed such universal support that a Tory government signed the UK’s Net Zero pledge into law. Today, the Tories say they’d scrap it – while alarm bells are ringing as the costs of the policy become clearer. In June 2019, Prime Minister Theresa May passed a [...]
Tories vow to scrap net zero targets and prioritise cheap energy October 2, 2025 Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has vowed to scrap legislation forcing the government to achieve net zero by 2050 promising instead to prioritise “cheap and reliable” energy if elected to government. The Climate Change Act was first passed in 2008 before being amended in 2019 under Theresa May’s government to include a legally-binding target to reach [...]
Stop lecturing consumers on climate change, make them afraid October 2, 2025 No one understands the 2°C climate change target, it’s time to reframe the debate around the real, tangible impact of climate change – like floods and wildfires, says Lewis Liu I was recently at a dinner for venture capital investors in New York when someone asked me, “As a trained physicist, what’s more investable: fusion [...]
Ed Miliband’s pay now buy later climate policy September 17, 2025 Behavioural economics teaches us that consumers weigh benefits received and costs incurred in the present much more heavily than if they’re in the distant future. That’s a problem for net zero policy makers like Ed Miliband, says Paul Ormerod The headlines are full of bad news for Kier Starmer. But an important story last week [...]
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 [...]
Natpower trumps Labour with £1bn battery storage project August 28, 2025 Global energy company Natpower is set to dwarf a key Labour investment in battery storage development as it said £1bn would be injected into one of the largest storage sites in the UK. The new battery storage project on Sembcorp Utilities’ Wilton International Site near Middlesbrough will receive £1bn in private funding with “no government [...]
Banking net zero club to change structure after member exodus August 27, 2025 The global banking industry’s climate group will hold a vote on the future of its structure following a mass exodus of members. The Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) will determine whether it will transform from a membership-based alliance to a “new framework initiative”. It comes after the world’s banking giants fled the group as the financial [...]
Borough wars: London’s e-bike chaos is hurting its commuters August 22, 2025 It’s an e-bike apocalypse out there, or at least it is if you’re trying to cross West London on two wheels. Hounslow Council’s recent decision to ban Lime, the capital’s most ubiquitous e-bike operator, has turned London’s meticulously planned cycle routes into a geopolitical minefield. The capital’s commuters are now finding themselves stranded at borough [...]
How the banking net zero fantasy ran out of gas August 20, 2025 Over the past year, the world’s biggest banks‘ net zero enthusiasm has quickly and quietly dried up. Top lenders have backtracked, diluted or outright abandoned their environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies. The return of President Donald Trump has been highlighted as a turning point for green finance with firms across the financial industry turning sour [...]
Balfour Beatty receives profit boost from government contracts August 13, 2025 Infrastructure group Balfour Beatty recorded a jump in profit for the first half of the year after a bumper performance in its UK construction. The London-listed firm posted a £20m rise in pre-tax profit for the first six months of the year to £132m, up from £112m last year. It came as the business’ UK [...]