Government attempts to present a consistent energy policy fell apart in November as a major speech by Amber Rudd, secretary of state at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) – flagged as setting the direction for energy policy – was undermined a week later by announcements from chancellor George Osborne in his Spending Review.
Rudd’s speech had been keenly anticipated by the industry after she made a series of announcements on cutting support for renewables earlier this year.