They cannot claim they weren’t warned; after all it had been coming for some time. But now the unapologetically opaque dealings of the Big Five price comparison websites having been in the dock, metaphorically and literally since last Autumn, when revelations of endemic hiding of deals were first made public, are facing real public and […]
CMA – Theories of harm (Updated)
Back in August 2014, the nascent Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into the workings of the energy market released its 4 theories of harm – the elements of the market that were perceived to encapsulate its biggest weaknesses and which were to be thoroughly investigated on their watch. Now, 6 months later, the CMA […]
British Gas results turn sour
It’s difficult being British Gas, it really is, like a lightning rod to public controversy, anything associated with the business is seemingly seized upon by politicians and market commentators alike. BT was another, but then they bought Premier League football, perhaps that’s where British Gas have gone wrong? Or maybe it’s their apparent commitment to […]
CMA Findings – The missing link, engagement
The trickle of initial findings from the CMA, the Competitions and Markets Authority, and their investigation into the energy market has thrown up a number of interesting debating points, not all of which were entirely expected by those calling for the investigation. We’ve already talked about the alternative view of the CMA’s headline finding that […]
CMA Findings – An alternate view
The trickle of initial findings from the CMA, Competitions and Markets Authority investigation into the energy market has turned into a flow this week with the headlines unsurprisingly being grabbed by the more hyperbolic mutterings. The big one is the allegation that the CMA’s initial investigations have uncovered “significant evidence” that customers have been overcharged […]
Energy – The industry of misinformation?
A view from the floor In the first of a new series of articles written by our Business Advisors, James Rippin explores the potential vested interest in the government being economical with the truth about the true cost of energy. Energy – The industry of misinformation? It’s fair to say that energy is an industry […]
PQQ Nightmare to end for SMEs
PQQ – the pre-qualification questionnaire -three words to strike fear into any small business. But that huge obstacle to small business participation in government contracts is soon to be abolished for contracts below the EU threshold. Lord Young of Graffham, enterprise advisor to the Prime Minister explained: “PQQs have been found to be onerous by small businesses, […]
Oil price rises on OPEC cuts
It’s been a frustrating few months. The media narrative has been one of collapsing wholesale energy prices driven by a fundamental misunderstanding of the influence that the oil market has on UK gas and electricity prices. That through separate influences the wholesale price of electricity and gas fell considerably through to mid January 2015 is […]
The 2015 General Election: Energy & Business Part III
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this series are entirely those of your correspondent. Employment legislation is already fairly unwieldy, and despite a traditionally pro business administration in charge, (Vince Cable excepted), the level of legislated activity and obligations on employers have grown not so slowly but very surely in recent years. From April 2015 alone we will […]
Hinkley Point C faces further delay
Like a cross continent soap opera, the saga of Hinkley Point C continues. The investment deal to secure development of the first new build nuclear power plant in a generation has again been put back, this time to October 2015, as negotiations continue with their potential partners. Ed Davey, the secretary of state for energy […]