UK must offer businesses certainty over green energy, says boss of FTSE 100 firm

‘We’re saying to the UK, we’re here. What’s your plan?’ asks Miles Roberts, the chief executive of DS Smith. Photograph: DS Smith/PA

The UK risks seeing its manufacturing sector fall behind rival economies if the government does not offer certainty over policies on shifting to green energy, according to the head of FTSE 100 packaging maker DS Smith.

Miles Roberts, the company’s chief executive, said British government decarbonisation policy has lacked the clarity of European rivals, meaning DS Smith has moved ahead with a €90m (£78m) investment in a paper mill in Rouen, northern France, while waiting for more clarity from government before investing in upgrades in the UK.