UK energy firms call for overhaul of regulator Ofgem
The UK’s energy companies have called for a radical shake-up of the regulator Ofgem, accusing it of overseeing a rise in domestic bills and slowing Britain’s economic growth,The industry’s trade association, Energy UK, has called for Ofgem to be stripped of some of its responsibilities after overseeing “a dramatic increase in red tape” that it claims has reduced growth and pushed up costs for households,In a report, the trade group noted that despite the government’s plan to reduce the cost of regulation by 25% by the end of this parliament, Ofgem’s headcount had been allowed to increase by 120% over the past 10 years while its budget grew by 200%,By contrast, the energy sector’s workforce had grown by only 8% over the same period,Ofgem is the energy regulator for Great Britain.
The group’s indictment of the regulator comes amid deepening dissatisfaction with the government’s energy policies, and just days after sector bosses told MPs that the approach would lead to a steep hike in gas and electricity bills by the end of the decade.The trade group, which represents the views of Britain’s biggest energy companies, has called on the government to strip Ofgem of many of its duties and to limit its focus on economic regulation of network companies and other energy infrastructure.Instead, it proposes handing the responsibility for protecting consumers to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and the delivery of energy schemes to “other suitable organisations”.The calls to overhaul Ofgem have grown since the government agreed to establish a new water regulator to replace the powers of Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the Environment Agency in a “reset” for a sector that has been dogged by rising costs, financial strain and pollution scandals.A government review of Ofgem’s role by Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, began last December and recommendations for change are expected shortly.
Writing in the Telegraph, the chief executive of Energy UK, Dhara Vyas, said: “There is a growing sense, in our sector and elsewhere, that the energy regulator has lost its way.By becoming too big and bureaucratic, it has overseen a dramatic increase in red tape, reducing growth and pushing up costs for the very customers it tries to protect.”Sign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningafter newsletter promotionAn Ofgem spokesperson said: “We will continue to work closely with the industry, its trade body, Energy UK, and consumer groups as the energy system evolves, and the Ofgem review is an important opportunity to ensure regulation and our remit keeps pace with change.”“We’re keen to work with industry to cut red tape and back investment, but firm regulation remains vital to protect consumers and maintain confidence in the sector,” the spokesperson added.
Serial rapist who ran Plymouth teeth-whitening salon jailed for 26 years
A man who ran a teeth-whitening and tanning salon in Plymouth has been jailed for 26 years for a series of rapes and sexual assaults against women, including customers of his business whom he lured with offers of free treatment.Ricky Stubberfield, 31, attacked seven victims over a period of 11 years, between 2013 and 2024, with some of the assaults taking place at the Essex Smiles salon on Mutley Plain when he was the co-owner and manager.Stubberfield contacted a number of women on Instagram and offered free treatment in exchange for promoting his business but when they attended their appointments he made sexual advances and then assaulted them. Other offences were carried out by Stubberfield in a variety of locations around Plymouth.Stubberfield, from Plympton in Devon, was sentenced at Plymouth crown court on Tuesday to 26 years in prison and a further six on extended licence after being found guilty of 23 offences including rape, sexual assault, assault by penetration, making indecent images of a child, and exposure
A day in the life of caring for an overdose survivor
A couple of years ago, I began investigating non-fatal overdoses.Coverage of the US’s opioid crisis has largely focused on lives lost. But through my cousin Mason, I saw another toll of the epidemic: the people who survive overdoses but are left with devastating disabilities.Watching his and his parents’ struggles – and knowing he was not the only young overdose survivor in a nursing home – I wondered: how many people like Mason were out there? What happens to them, and how do their families cope?I quickly learned that no one is tracking these cases. There is no official count of people living with overdose-related brain injuries
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John-Bryan “JB” Jarrett was supposed to be fishing on the Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend, September 2020. Over dinner the night before, he told his mom, Jessica, he wanted to be on the water by 7am.Jessica and JB were unusually close. When her work brought her to Austin, she stayed in his spare room; when the pandemic hit, she moved in for good. Despite a full life – a girlfriend, a job, a side hustle running an online thrift store – he welcomed her
Labour urged to rethink scrapping minimum wage youth rates amid ‘Neets’ rise
Labour has been urged to break a manifesto pledge to scrap youth rates of the minimum wage amid a dramatic rise in the number of young people out of work and education.In a report sounding the alarm over a sharp increase in the number of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (Neet), the Resolution Foundation urged Labour to change course to avoid them being “priced out” of entry-level jobs.It said the number of young people classified as Neet had risen by 195,000 over the past two years to reach 940,000 and the figure was poised to hit 1 million for the first time since 2012.Labour promised before last year’s general election to scrap “discriminatory” lower minimum wage rates for under-21s, so that all adults would be entitled to the same legal pay floor.The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced a phased approach in last year’s autumn budget, kickstarting the process to equalise the minimum wage with a bumper rise in the legal pay floor for 18- to 20-year-olds
Suicide rates among young people in England rose 50% in 10 years, figures show
Suicide numbers among children and young people in England have increased by 50% in the last decade, figures show.The Office for National Statistics analysed data covering almost 12 million children and young people aged between 15 and 25 from 2011-12 to 2021-22. There were 4,315 suicides across the whole period.A total of 440 young people killed themselves in 2021-22, up 47% from the 300 such deaths in 2011-22. The number of suicides per 100,000 children and young people was up 54% over the same period
Protective immune cells in breastfeeding women identified as guard against breast cancer, new research finds
In the 18th century, physicians noticed nuns had some of the highest rates of breast cancer. It was one of the earliest clues that led scientists to suspect that child-bearing and breastfeeding could protect against the disease.Modern data has confirmed the centuries-old observation but the biological reasons behind it have remained unclear. Explanations have often focused on pregnancy-related hormonal changes, but research published Tuesday in Nature has found breastfeeding provides long-lasting immune protection.Prof Sherene Loi, a clinician scientist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, said the most sophisticated level of the immune system, called the adaptive immune system, involves T-cells which react against particular viruses or bacteria – and also against cancer
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