The Conservative manifesto says that for a successful industrial strategy, which will be the centre piece of post-Brexit Britain, the UK should have the lowest electricity prices in Europe.
Almost 11 months to the day since Theresa May was selected as Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader she stepped onto a stage in Halifax Yorkshire to announce her party’s manifesto for the election on 8 June.
The party’s pitch is centred on the upcoming Brexit negotiations and either strengthening the Prime Minister’s hand or using negotiations to tackle failures of the market.
The approach is radical, the document says that the Conservative’s ambition is for the UK to have the lowest electricity prices in Europe. This is stark, as the UK already has the highest electricity prices in Europe.
The party says that for a successful industrial strategy, which will be the centre piece of post-Brexit Britain, they need “competitive and affordable energy costs” for households and businesses.
The manifesto pledges to not form policy based on the “way energy is generated but on the ends we desire – reliable and affordable energy,”. This would mark a significant rethink on energy mix after years of policies which have subsidised renewables in order to meet EU renewables targets.
The Prime Minister has pledged that if elected, she will commission an independent review of the cost of energy whilst meeting climate targets set for 2050.
Earlier this month, four respected think tanks wrote in the Telegraph stating that without action to remove subsidies on green projects, consumers would continue to pay. The National Audit Office stated in a report last year that subsidy spending would add £110 to energy bills by 2020.