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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Nils Pratley

Great British Energy will be welcome – but Labour risks over-selling it

Shadow secretary of state for energy security and net zero Ed Miliband, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar at the Port of Greenock posing in orange high-vis jackets
National Grid intends to spend £30bn in the UK over the next five years, so Labour should temper expectations about GB Energy reducing bills. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Great British Energy, Labour’s proposed publicly owned energy company, scores well with voters, according to the pollsters, and one can understand why. The promise to invest in “cheap, clean, homegrown energy, to cut bills for families and rebuild the strength of British industry” ticks every imaginable box. What’s not to like?

And, since the privatised utilities are never going to win a popularity contest (especially when the boss of British Gas’s owner is being paid £8m), the publicly-owned structure of GB Energy is almost a cherry on top. Other countries have state-owned firms making good profits in the UK energy market. Now the home side will be on the pitch.

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