Britain is OK with public ownership, but only by foreign powers. Why?
Author Arthur Downing discusses the history of Britain's energy sector, noting that the nationalized gas industry of the mid-20th century was highly effective at infrastructure deployment. He argues that the current fragmented, privatized system struggles with efficiency and reliance on imports.
Why it matters
It provides historical context to the ongoing debate regarding energy security and the potential benefits of state-led infrastructure transitions.
A British Gas engineer services a gas-powered lamp near the Houses of Parliament, London./Getty Images A British Gas engineer services a gas-powered lamp near the Houses of Parliament, London./Getty Images Energy industry Britain is OK with public ownership, but only by foreign powers. Why? Arthur Downing, author of Power and the People: A History of British Energy, says all-encompassing rapid transition will need a mutualised system
Maya Goodfellow Wed 2 Sep 2026 03.00 EDT Last modified on Wed 2 Sep 2026 03.01 EDT Share Prefer the Guardian on Google H ave you ever wondered why it is that most houses in the UK are reliant on gas boilers? Not what’s stopping more people from replacing them with heat pumps, but instead why and how the gas boiler became so ubiquitous in the first place?
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in