The Regulatory State Labour and the utilities 1997-2002

Article

An analysis of the developments in regulation of public utilities under the Labour government from a former special adviser.

Drawing on his experience as a special adviser in the DTI and DTLR between 1997 and 2002, ippr's former senior economist Dan Corry analyses developments in how the state regulates public utilities. While Labour has continued to put competition and the consumer first, it has significantly improved many of the details of the regulatory process. Above all, the Labour Government has clarified that regulation remains at heart a political process that demands the state set a clear policy framework for balancing a range of policy objectives.

Dan Corry emphasises that the key issue now facing regulation policy is how to reconcile environmental objectives with the central focus of policy on promoting competition and delivering the lowest price to the consumer.

Related items

  1. The outside of the BBC building in London with people walking in front of it

    Levelling the playing field: The BBC, Big Tech, and the case for a bold charter

    The upcoming charter renewal is the moment to give the BBC the resources, freedom and mission it needs to engage with technology firms on its own terms.
  2. A lighthouse shines a light into a dark seascape at the edge of a cliff on the coast of Wales

    Britain's strategy for a decade of danger: Our nation, our continent, our world

    Britain's foreign policy needs a grand strategy that clearly defines the country’s strategy for security, growth and migration.

  3. Will planning reform make housing more affordable?

    It is undeniable that housing in England is in crisis.