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 sign for the Ministry of Defence by the building's main entrance

    Joining forces: A better strategy for defence spending with allies

    Andy Burnham has made the case that national security and rebuilding Britain’s hard power will be priorities for his government. 
  2. Adults standing in a circle and talking to each other about their mental wellbeing. There is a staff member sitting to the left of them in the frame sitting next to a table. The community centre is located in Seaton Deleval in the North East of England.

    What is the left for?: The case for a politics of reciprocism

    Liberal democratic capitalism has failed to give many people good lives, and the future looks less promising than the past. 

  3. Wildfires and climate change | Dave Hawkey from IPPR Scotland speaks to Lewis Goodall on LBC

    Europe’s heatwaves and the wildfires in the Cairngorms are a stark reminder that climate extremes are here.  The Scottish government must act now with a clear plan to prepare for what's coming.