Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 10TH - 16TH JANUARY 2020 | 15 Policy & Regulation UTILITY WEEK | 10TH - 16TH JANUARY 2020 | 15 Policy & Regulation wants to project an image of global leader- ship at the UN [COP 26] summit – and to do that, the government needs to get demon- strably on track for its own net zero target well before the summit opens. "Otherwise their own o€ cial advisers, never mind scientists and environment groups, are going to rip that image to shreds." But Chris Rum… tt, a former No 10 insider who now runs the public aˆ airs agency Field Consulting, argues that re-establishing a dedicated department is a good move for the broader energy and climate change agenda. "If we are serious about tackling climate change, having a department dedicated to the issue seems the right thing to do. Hope- fully, it will be viewed as one of the top jobs in government." Burke argues that the new department, if it is created, should be given a very clear remit around net zero emissions, to the extent that the term should be included in its title. "It's OK if the two are delinked, but they need to be quite clear about what the best policy … t is for climate and where the synergies are," he says. "A net zero ministry would be a good thing as long as it has a clear, narrow pur- pose and mission. A downside of BEIS at the moment is that it doesn't have that clear narrative and straddles a lot of diˆ erent policy areas. "If a climate change department is carved out of that to create a net zero ministry, that would be welcome and would give that department a clear focus and vision." And the new department, whatever it is called, will have its work cut out if and when it is established. Fresh investment The Queen's Speech, in which the govern- ment outlined its legislative programme fol- lowing the general election, promised fresh Burke says: "Orchestrating government spending so all government investments are aligned with net zero would be a good thing. The problem at the moment is that you don't have that cross-government collaboration and policy areas fall through the cracks." An increasing body of opinion supports greater co-ordination at the heart of government. A step in this direction was the Cabinet committee on climate change, bringing together key departmental ministers and headed by Johnson himself, which was announced in the run-up to the general election. Dedicated unit In his report for the Conservative-supporting thinktank Onward, which was published during the general election, Howard argues that this co-ordination should be bolstered by creating a dedicated unit within the Cabinet O€ ce. "If they recreate DECC, having a group of people very close to the centre of action in the Cabinet O€ ce to co-ordinate across all departments would be good." The bones of such an out… t is being cre- ated within the Cabinet O€ ce, where the unit that will oversee preparations for this year's COP 26 climate change summit in Glasgow is housed under former energy minister Claire Perry O'Neill. But Howard warns against the risk of "over focusing" on holding a successful summit rather than ensuring that the UK's own policies are … t for purpose. "Having a good COP team is not a panacea. The COP team is all about the lead- up to the COP. Having a good COP [this] year doesn't mean we have a strategy to deliver net zero: one is about global action and the other is about national action. "We wouldn't want the COP process or BEIS reorganisation to distract from that." David Blackman, policy correspondent, Utility Week investment in carbon capture and nuclear energy. This is likely to come forward in the budget pencilled in for next month, which the government has con… rmed will also be the cue for the publication of the National Infrastructure Strategy (NIS). The long-awaited response to the National Infrastructure Commission's 2018 … nal report, which recommended a target that half of electricity should be generated from renewable sources by 2030, will dove- tail with the Energy White Paper that was originally due to appear last summer. Both the NIS and the white paper will see light in the context of the net zero decarboni- sation target unanimously endorsed by MPs last summer. However much of the work to create this carbon future won't happen within any new DECC but in other departments, such as those responsible for housing and transport, given the urgency surrounding action to tackle emissions from these sources. Energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng may be promoted to head of the new-look DECC Labour's would-be leaders still seem to be behind nationalisation Whatever the causes of last month's landslide defeat for Labour, the candidates for the party's upcoming leadership contest seem to agree its ambitious renationalisation platform wasn't one of them. But some people have stuck out their necks to criticise Labour's manifesto pledge to bring a swathe of former nationalised industries back into public ownership. In a letter to the Observer newspaper, a group of defeated candidates wrote that "the focus on nationalisation and uncontrolled spending commitments meant people simply didn't believe us". Yet none of those who have declared they are running to take over from Jeremy Corbyn have so far disavowed the manifesto commitment. Sir Keir Starmer, the moderate frontrunner in the race, has stated that Labour "supports com- mon ownership" in his initial pitch to members. He is no doubt mindful of the overwhelming support for the policy among the Labour mem- bers who will determine the upcoming contest. A flavour can be detected in a recent article by Richard Burgon, in which the staunchly leƒ -wing shadow justice secretary sets out his platform to become deputy leader. He writes: "A weakening of Labour's popular commit- ments to ending austerity, returning rail, mail and water to public ownership and a more interventionist role for the state would not win more votes." However, last month's overwhelming defeat at the ballot box means utility companies can breathe easy about the party's stance on what was an existential threat just a few weeks ago.

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