The difference between an electricity regulator and the Soviet Army

I’m talking to Tim Tutton who was in the mainstream of UK electricity and gas market reform from the late 1980s, including eight  years as Director of Regulation at National Grid.

Tim wrote a stimulating paper Does Ofgem have a future? for the economic consultancy Oxera in May this year. It’s a provocative challenge and I thought it would be fun to invite him onto the podcast to explore the themes in it – both his specific observations about the UK and the general issues they raise about governments and their agencies in our industry.

Last week, Tim talked about the extraordinary change in UK energy policy and the sector regulator’s role in it, or lack thereof. This week, he explains the broader shift that this represents in the relationship between the UK government and its regulator and how elements of this shift remind him of Russia in 1918.