Factcheck: 10 flaws in the Conservative report on ‘cheap power’

The Conservative report on "cheap power" is a textbook example of how political expediency can distort climate and energy policy. Carbon Brief's meticulous factcheck (https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-10-flaws-in-the-conservative-report-on-cheap-power) dismantles the report's central premise—that UK electricity is unaffordable because of net-zero policies. In reality, the report conflates short-term price spikes with long-term structural costs, ignores the plummeting price of renewables, and conveniently omits the massive subsidies still enjoyed by fossil fuels. This is not just a statistical quibble; it's a fundamental misreading of the energy landscape that could lead to disastrous policy choices. The report's ten flaws range from misrepresenting the cost of offshore wind to overstating the potential of small modular reactors and hydrogen. It also appears to resurrect the discredited argument that gas is a "bridge fuel" that can lower bills, ignoring the volatility that has wreaked havoc on UK households since the invasion of Ukraine. Carbon Brief's analysis shows that the report's own numbers, when properly adjusted, often point to the opposite conclusion: renewables are already the cheapest form of new power, and delaying their deployment only prolongs our exposure to fossil fuel price shocks. What makes this report particularly concerning is its timing. With a general election looming, the Conservative party is weaponising energy policy to appeal to voters frustrated by high bills. But the solutions they propose—such as fast-tracking new gas plants and relaxing environmental regulations—are exactly the kind of short-term fixes that lock in long-term costs. The factcheck reveals that the report's "cheap power" would actually be an expensive gamble, burdening consumers with stranded assets and missed opportunities for domestic clean energy industries. At Climate Watch, we see this as a symptom of a deeper problem: the politicisation of climate science and economics. When political parties cherry-pick data to fit their narratives, they undermine the public's ability to make informed decisions. The UK's energy transition is not a partisan issue—it's an existential necessity. Reports like this, if taken at face value, could slow investment in renewables, increase reliance on imported gas, and delay the emissions cuts required to meet our climate commitments. We urge policymakers to read Carbon Brief's factcheck carefully and base decisions on evidence, not ideology. The stakes could not be higher. Every year of delay in decarbonising our power sector makes the 1.5°C target harder to reach and leaves vulnerable households exposed to volatile energy markets. The Conservative report may promise cheap power, but the real cost of its flawed assumptions is a hotter planet and a more precarious economy. We need honest accounting, not political spin.