Stoke-on-Trent South Labour MP Allison Gardner has called on the Government to go further in reducing energy costs for British businesses, warning that high prices are holding back investment and competitiveness.
Gardner said businesses across the country repeatedly identify energy costs as one of their biggest challenges. She pointed to sharp increases in non-domestic electricity and gas prices between 2020 and 2024 and argued that, despite subsequent falls, costs remain too high.
Welcome for industrial support
She welcomed the Government’s British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme, designed to cut electricity bills by up to 25 per cent for more than 10,000 businesses, and backed efforts to speed up electricity grid connections.
But Gardner argued that ministers should explore further reforms capable of bringing energy prices down in the shorter term, saying lower industrial energy costs would be essential if Labour’s ambition to reindustrialise Britain is to translate into investment, growth and jobs.
