
Reform tells energy firms it would scrap their clean power subsidies
The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme sees developers guaranteed a fixed price for electricity – independent of the wholesale price – in the hope of encouraging companies to invest in renewable projects.
In a letter on Wednesday to companies including Octopus Energy and SSE Renewables , Mr Tice claimed 'there is no public mandate for the real-world consequences' of the clean power agenda.
If Reform won an election, he said 'we will seek to strike down all contracts signed under AR7' – the upcoming allocation round for CfDs.
'Let me be clear: if you enter bids in AR7, you do so at your own risk. The political consensus that has sheltered your industry for nearly two decades is fracturing.'
He added that participation in the upcoming CfD auction 'carries significant political, financial and regulatory risk' for company shareholders.
Climate analysts said the move would drive away investment and put British jobs in jeopardy.
The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: 'Polling shows the public see clean energy as the number one growth sector for the UK.
'Arguing against British renewables is arguing for more foreign gas, which will increasingly come from abroad as the North Sea continues its inevitable decline – a geological fact.
'Ripping up long-term policies and changing agreed contracts is likely to destroy the UK's credibility as a solid place to invest and with it, leave us more reliant on gas from abroad whose price we have no significant control over.'
Labour said the letter showed Reform was 'actively trying to discourage businesses from investing in clean energy in the UK – leaving bills higher for families, threatening hundreds of thousands of good jobs across the country and putting our energy security at risk.'
'They are disgracefully trying to undermine the UK's national interest,' a party spokesman said.
Mr Tice's letter followed a Government decision to allow offshore wind farms to be able to apply for the energy contracts while they are still waiting for full planning consent in a bid to hasten development.
Officials have said changes to the scheme will include increasing the length of contracts from 15 years to 20 years for offshore wind, onshore wind and solar projects.
The letter also came shortly after Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said greater use of CfDs would cut bills for households by breaking the link between electricity costs and the price of gas.
He said: 'We're all paying that higher gas price in our bills, even though most of the energy we're using comes from much cheaper, renewable sources.'
Sir Ed also accused Reform leader Nigel Farage of peddling 'myths' about net zero and vowing to challenge 'snake oil sales' with 'thought through' policy.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Finextra
6 minutes ago
- Finextra
Corpay agrees $2.2bn Alpha Group takeover
Corporate payments outfit Corpay has agreed to buy British peer Alpha Group for $2.2 billion in cash. 0 This content has been selected, created and edited by the Finextra editorial team based upon its relevance and interest to our community. Alpha provides B2B cross border FX to corporations and investment funds in the UK and Europe, holding around $3 billion of deposits in over 7000 client accounts. Corpay says the acquisition will improve its FX technology stack and strengthen its ties with investment managers in Europe and beyond. Alpha shareholders will receive 4,250 pence per share, representing a 55% premium to the closing price on 1 May, the day before potential takeover talks were disclosed. An offer in May was rejected. This transaction meaningfully expands our relationships with investment managers and results in four Cross Border customer segments: corporates, financial institutions, investment funds and digital currency providers,' says Ron Clarke, CEO, Corpay. Corpay has had a busy few months, taking a minority stake in business payments automation platform AvidXchange in a deal also involving TPG, and securing a $300 million investment from Mastercard for a three per cent stake in its cross-border business.


Daily Mirror
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
'If energy communities are left behind then more will be attracted by climate denial'
'Thousands of jobs in oil and gas are at risk of disappearing without being replaced by new work - this is the context that the populist Right is seeking to exploit,' warn union leaders The energy transition will only happen thanks to the efforts of tens of thousands of energy workers. This might seem an obvious point, but it is one that is surprisingly absent from the national debate on Net Zero. We talk about the technologies we might need, the costs to government or the potential savings on household bills and the impact on our energy security, far more than we talk about the workers. As a country we spend far more time debating the people blocking wind farms than we do discussing the people building them. If we are going to achieve the government's ambitious decarbonisation goals, we need to bring energy workers to the centre of the national conversation. This is vital to resolving the serious workforce challenges presented by a rapid transition to new forms of energy generation. If we are going to seize the opportunities on offer, we will need tens of thousands of skilled workers to build new wind farms and nuclear power stations, install millions of solar panels, retrofit houses and change heating systems, and deliver the upgrades to the grid that will get clean power to where it is needed. And if the UK is going to maximise the economic benefits from this transition, we also need to make sure that the kit we use is manufactured in the UK as much as possible, whether that is for turbines or nuclear fuel. For the first time in decades, we have a government that understands that this can only be done with a clear industrial strategy. The market alone will deliver a transition that is neither quick nor just. The approach of the previous government saw major infrastructure decisions like Sizewell C kicked into the long grass, a ridiculous ban on onshore wind, and no interest in British jobs. As a result, we missed crucial opportunities to onshore key production lines, and thousands of jobs that could have been based in Britain were shipped overseas. This was a tragedy and it was avoidable. The Labour government's Clean Energy Industrial Strategy is a welcome antidote to this, backed up by Great British Energy and a National Wealth Fund investing in UK energy projects. The first year has seen progress on new nuclear and renewable projects. For the first time in years, energy trade unions like Prospect and GMB have been properly consulted on the polices that will shape our members' lives. But we need to be bigger and bolder when it comes to the workforce and jobs. Research we commissioned from YouGov has found that only 8% of UK voters have seen an increase in energy jobs in their area because of the transition. When thinking about the future only 31% of people in the UK think that the transition will have a positive impact on jobs nationally, and that falls to 20% when asked to think about jobs in their local area. These numbers fall still further in traditional energy communities in the north of England, Wales and Scotland where thousands of jobs in oil and gas are at risk of disappearing without being replaced by new work. This is the context that the populist Right is seeking to exploit, and it is these energy communities they are often targeting. Let's be clear, Reform's policy to scrap the energy transition would be a disaster for Britain and would put thousands of jobs at risk. The public aren't convinced either, only a small minority oppose the transition, but the majority do want to see a focus on the economy and on jobs. If this transition doesn't result in good, unionised jobs, and if energy communities are left on the scrapheap, then more and more people will be attracted by the siren voice of climate denial. The answer is to put workers front and centre, and make clear that this transition is going to be delivered by them and with their interests in mind. We need an ambitious energy workforce plan that focuses on job numbers and job quality, a real Just Transition plan for energy communities, and a huge national effort to train the next generation of energy workers. Our unions have formed a new campaign group, Climate Jobs UK, to fight for these outcomes and we will be turning up the volume in the coming years to make sure the voice of energy workers is impossible to ignore.


Daily Mirror
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Unions warn Labour must convince Brits of green jobs boost to counter Reform
Polling conducted by YouGov for the Prospect and GMB unions reveals just a fifth (20%) of Brits believe the clean energy transition will have a positive impact on jobs locally Labour must show how shifting to green energy will boost jobs to face down the threat from Reform, two major unions have warned. Polling conducted by YouGov for Prospect and GMB reveals just a fifth (20%) of Brits believe the energy transition will have a positive impact on jobs locally. Under a third (31%) think the energy transition will have a positive impact on jobs anywhere in the UK. GMB General Secretary Gary Smith warned Brits need to see the benefits of transition to clean energy to counter climate sceptics on the right as Nigel Farage wages war on Net Zero. It comes after Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice vowed to scrap contracts with energy firms and reverse the expansion of renewable energy. Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Reform's Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, has said she doesn't think climate change exists. Labour recently warned that 950,000 jobs in clean energy could be threatened by Reform. According to Confederation of British Industry data, the net zero economy supports 951,000 full-time jobs, in areas like offshore wind, electric vehicles, heat pumps and hydrogen. This includes 100,700 in Scotland, 70,500 in Yorkshire and the Humber and 96,800 in the North West. Mr Smith told the Mirror: 'At the moment, the transition feels like something being done to workers – that can't continue. People need to see real jobs created where they live, and their local economy boosted, or we're going to see more and more tempted by the siren calls of those who deny the reality of climate change.' The survey of more than 2,000 adults shows more than half (55%) agree a transition focused on jobs and the economy should be prioritised over one focused on speed. Only 17% prefer a focus on speed. Prospect and GMB – who between them represent tens of thousands of energy workers - have launched a campaign group, Climate Jobs UK, which aims to put energy workers and jobs at the centre of the UK's debate on decarbonisation. Around 5.5million people - 8% of the population - either work in the energy sector or know someone who does. Prospect General Secretary Mike Clancy said: 'We are going to need tens of thousands of workers to deliver this huge shift in the way we produce and use energy. Building on the clean energy industrial strategy, the opportunity is to deliver good, clean energy jobs for the people and places that most need them 'But this research shows that people aren't yet seeing those jobs materialise, and if this continues then it will undermine support for the transition and drive people towards parties who oppose it and would put the future of the industry at risk. 'The government have raised the ambition on energy policy, which is welcome, now they need to be bigger and bolder when it comes to energy jobs and put energy workers at the heart of this agenda.'