Best Of

As I predicted, mandatory WFH here we come.

If we're really lucky we might even get a de facto lockdown

Huge energy price rises pile pressure on British companies

Warning of businesses going under as cost of gas set to rise by as much as 80 per cent, while electricity bills to increase by up to 30 per cent

Businesses across the UK are facing “eye-watering” rises in their energy bills because of the conflict in the Middle East, analysis for The Times suggests.

Unlike households, companies are not insulated from volatility in gas and electricity prices, which have almost doubled since the Iran war began.

The problem is particularly acute for the thousands of companies that fix their annual price tariff at the start of the financial year in April and will face an immediate sharp rise in their bills.

Analysis by the energy consultancy Cornwall Insight found that as a result of the conflict, business users’ electricity bills would rise by up to 30 per cent, while the cost of gas could go up by as much as 80 per cent. This would mean that a business such as a larger retail and leisure site, on an average 12-month electricity contract, would have an annual bill of £578,000 — £95,000 more than early last month.

For gas, bills have risen by £376,000, reaching just over £1.02 million a year, an increase of nearly 60 per cent, based on the latest wholesale prices.

On Tuesday Wael Sawan, the chief executive of Shell, warned that Europe risked fuel shortages as soon as next month. At an industry conference in Houston, Texas, he said the global oil and gas supply squeeze had already forced parts of Asia to cut energy consumption and that the “ripple effect” threatened to spread west within days.

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/huge-energy-price-rises-pile-pressure-on-british-companies-6w9m0j0xk

Depressing. I’d much rather businesses were given some kind of some support - low interest government loans or similar - than handouts to people who can shoulder this. Loans that could bd used to install solar, heat pumps, batteries.

I include myself in this. We save for emergencies so can weather this out. We do huge mileage each year, but a lot of that is social, weekend driving that we can cut back on. We don’t need any help from the government.

OTOH , we don’t use much gas because we live in an energy-efficient flat, appropriate for two young-ish adults. I’m not sure why people like me should bail out those in big, detached houses. They’ve made their choice.

If only spongers on benefits are getting the help I doubt many will be in big detached houses , once again telling that you spew hatred on a handful of poor pensioners ( unlike the majority) who may have a decent house and no money.

30% of UK households (7mn) are in receipt of Universal Credit. Surprisingly the same spread throughout the UK (England 29% / Wales 30% / Scotland 31%). There are 9mn pensioner households.

So the workers not in receipt of UC are doing a lot of the heavy lifting for pensioners more than anyone else.

You’re obsessed with bloody pensioners receiving benefits but not working age people.

Pension is a contribution based benefit and those receiving it did the heavy lifting in the past.

Rightly or wrongly that’s the case.

Aside from a few benefits, such as contribution based JSA, you cannot say that about most who receive working age benefits and bloody labour, or some of them, want to hand more money to the Boriswave.

Personally I’d tie both pensions and benefits to GDP growth.

@malcolmg what is it with people here who are happy to dump on people who contributed to the benefits system getting something back but radiate their middle class, white, worthiness on those who largely haven’t ?

Hopefully no-one wants to see state support removed for old people but what grates is the huge sense of entitlement of the current generation of pensioners. Who are much better catered for than generations past, and also those to come. Who sound off about how they deserve the lion share of state welfare "because they worked for it", all the while denying any support to people who are actually working, and supposedly feckless and morally inferior.

Sadly all parties indulge this sense of entitlement, hoping these guys will vote for them.

It is not pensioners receiving free childcare despite family incomes of up to £200,000 a year. It is not pensioners whose children enjoy breakfast clubs and after-school clubs. It is not pensioners who get higher rate tax relief on private pension contributions. It *is* pensioners who left school at 15 or 16 and worked for more years to 65 than younger generations who left school at 21 and whose pension age is 67 or 68.

And I still believe this intergenerational spat was started by Russian trolls.

Sorry but this is a shockingly ignorant post. Look at the marginal tax rates on families earning £200k. Look at the gradual erosion of the tax advantages of DC occupational pensions as offered to younger people Vs dB pensions as typically enjoyed by older people, look at the drying up of dB scheme surpluses and the elimination of the generous early retirement provisions enjoyed by earlier generations.

And what on earth is this point about younger people being in "school" until 21 ? They're at university, pushing themselves into debt rather than enjoying the free further education offered to previous generations, trying to improve their chances in a job market being choked by excessive taxation and poor growth.

They're at University being milked.
They've been sold a university degree as the best career path, sold tuition fee and maintenance loans as being a good value investment, then charged rents at getting on for the full maintenance loan.
The system doesn't care if they get a worthwhile degree, it just wants students to borrow money to pay out as rent.

RPI + 3% debt accruing for your fertile & mortgage paying years and then being wiped is simply bonkers from all perspectives. Effectively 9% extra tax on your working life, disgusting.

I was mulling this over during a long hike yesterday: under the current tax system, it's quite possible that if I were back in my late 20s, just set up my own company, probably making £70-80k a year gross - I could send a client an invoice for £1380 which leaves £1150 after vat, which leaves £1000 to be paid as salary after employer NI, which then suffers 40% income tax, 2% employee NI and 9% student loan repayment. Net salary £490. Oops, hang on, I've got 2 kids so clawback of child benefit at approx 11%, net salary actually £380ish. Effective aggregate tax rate = 72%.

Dammit, I agree with Dan Hodges.

How can it even be possible that the PM’s Chief of Staff has a phone with no automatic backups? Even my little work IT team makes sure everyone’s phones get backed up regularly. The official version of this incident totally stinks.

https://x.com/dpjhodges/status/2036718497988764006
So this is the sequencing:

a) 11 September, Mandelson resigns
b) 11 September - 13 October, No.10 start putting together strategy for dealing with Tory demand for messages between Mandelson/McSweeney
c) 20 October, McSweeney reports phone stolen. All messages reportedly lost

https://x.com/dpjhodges/status/2036712739582738438
This was published by Tim Shipman on 14 February. It details how in the period up to 13 October, 2025 Labour officials became worried a motion would be put to parliament demanding the release of Morgan McSweeney's messages to Peter Mandelson. On October 20 McSweeney reported his mobile had been stolen.

It's taking the piss isn't it?

It’s way more than that, at this point.

https://x.com/dpjhodges/status/2036774824790339916
I've now spoken to two former Government Spads. Both were senior, both lost their Government phones. In both cases their first approach was to the Government internal security services, who then brokered a liaison with the Met to ensure the issue was dealt with properly.

This says that there’s a process in place which wasn’t followed.

The timing appears to be impeccable.

https://x.com/dpjhodges/status/2036757585395581387
I'm still trying to get round the fact that in 72 hours we've gone from "he lost his phone a year before the Mandelson scandal broke" to "OK, he actually lost his phone a week after we strategised how to deal with parliament trying to get his Mandelson messages".

The whole thing totally stinks, and it’s always the cover-up that gets you.

Dammit, I agree with Dan Hodges.

How can it even be possible that the PM’s Chief of Staff has a phone with no automatic backups? Even my little work IT team makes sure everyone’s phones get backed up regularly. The official version of this incident totally stinks.

https://x.com/dpjhodges/status/2036718497988764006
So this is the sequencing:

a) 11 September, Mandelson resigns
b) 11 September - 13 October, No.10 start putting together strategy for dealing with Tory demand for messages between Mandelson/McSweeney
c) 20 October, McSweeney reports phone stolen. All messages reportedly lost

https://x.com/dpjhodges/status/2036712739582738438
This was published by Tim Shipman on 14 February. It details how in the period up to 13 October, 2025 Labour officials became worried a motion would be put to parliament demanding the release of Morgan McSweeney's messages to Peter Mandelson. On October 20 McSweeney reported his mobile had been stolen.

It's taking the piss isn't it?