Is Ofcom's "due impartiality" preventing accurate reporting of the climate threat?
This week at the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Ofgem, Ofcom and the Government’s Mission Control for Clean Power 2030 will give evidence on what they’re doing to build support for the UK's energy transition
Ofcom says that the scientific principles behind man-made climate change are broadly settled yet no complaints about climate misinformation have been upheld of the over a thousand received since 2020.
The session will scrutinise the roles of Ofgem, Ofcom, and DESNZ’s Mission For Clean Power 2030 Unit: what they know about public understanding of the transition, and what evidence they can provide that their actions are making a difference.
Witnesses will be challenged on whether regulators are acting as credible communicators - safeguarding accuracy, impartiality, and public trust in energy-related information across media and official channels.
Meeting details
With political consensus around net zero fractured, the session will also explore how Ofcom applies its “due impartiality” duty in an increasingly polarised debate.
Ofgem’s statutory role is to protect consumers while enabling net zero at least cost. How does it balance long-term investment against short-term price pressures - and how effectively does it explain those trade-offs to the public?
With most people’s only interaction with the energy system being their bill, how clearly are the true costs of energy, and of the transition, set out? The Government has said that “consumer trust and satisfaction in the energy market is systemically lower than where it needs to be”. What is Ofgem doing to rectify this?
Finally, the Committee will test whether the Government’s Clean Power 2030 mission has the clarity, credibility, and flexibility needed to sustain public support through a changing economic and political landscape.