Utility Week

10 | 23rd - 30th September 2016 | UtILItY WeeK Lobby Policy / Party conferences Policy & Regulation Conference calls It's party conference season again, but the political landscape has never looked so tumultuous, says Mathew Beech. L ittle more than 18 months aer the gen- eral election, which produced a shock Conservative majority, and with it hopes of a parliament of policy stability, we find the political world in a state of unprec- edented turmoil. The cause behind the earth- quake: the EU referendum and the vote to leave. Since then, the Tories have undergone a swi and complete transformation; Labour is undergoing its own painful power struggle; while the SNP, having lost its Scottish Parlia- ment majority, seeks to stamp its authority once again north of the boarder and battle the Brexiteers. In government, gone is the David Cameron-George Osborne power axis at the top. In has come Theresa May to lead the Conservative Party and the country, and she has wasted no time in drawing a clear line between herself and her predecessor. The hiatus while she reappraised the Hinkley Point decision is just one example of her exercising her power. Utility Week's three key questions: At each of the three main party conferences this year, Utility Week will pose three key questions to the main MPs and MSPs. Those questions are: •  What role do you see for markets within the wholesale and retail utility  arenas? •  How will EU environmental and water quality regulations shape  post-Brexit regulations in the UK? •  What steps should the government be taking to help protect energy  and water customers? Read the write-up a•er each party conference to find out what the responses were from the Conservatives, Labour and the SNP. In the opposition ranks, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was elected by a groundswell of party member support a year ago, finds himself being challenged follow- ing a troubled 12-month reign. A disconnect between the rank and file members and the Parliamentary Labour Party has seen deep divisions develop. Both the incumbent leader and his challenger, Owen Smith, will be seeking to unite the party once the leader- ship contest is over, and lead a strong oppo- sition challenge as the UK deals with the Brexit fallout. Once the party has found some sem- blance of order, it can then get on with the task at hand, including pushing forward policies, such as Corbyn's idea to "democ- ratise energy" and create hundreds of small suppliers. In Scotland, the SNP remains the party of government in Holyrood, but its hard fought majority from 2011 has been eroded, with the Tories putting up a strong fight for influence north of the border. For Nicola Sturgeon, the rumblings of a second independence referendum con- tinue with the latest veiled threat to West- minster coming in the summer. Behind that headline, the SNP is continuing to push for greater powers for the Edinburgh parlia- ment, including over energy policy – with fracking and support for the renewables sec- tor remaining a sore point. This year's conference season promises yet again to intrigue. How each party plans to deal with Brexit will dominate the agenda and this will undoubtedly include announce- ments relating to energy and environmen- tal strategy. Utility Week will be on hand to assess the implications for business. Poll tracker 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Conservative Labour Liberal Democrat Ukip Green Share of vote (%) 26.05.15 26.06.15 26.07.15 26.08.15 26.09.15 26.10.15 26.11.15 26.12.15 26.01.16 26.02.16 26.03.16 26.04.16 26.05.16 26.06.16 26.07.16 Source: UK Polling Report Photo: Press Association

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