Tice calls offshore wind subsidies a net zero rip-off and vows Reform would end them

Richard Tice, Reform UK's deputy leader, used an interview on the GB News programme Jacob Rees-Mogg's State Of The... to criticise subsidies for offshore wind and the costs of net zero. GB News reported that Reform had criticised the government over a reported £1 billion taxpayer bailout for one of Britain's biggest offshore wind projects. The party said the project had already cost £12 billion and would need an extra £1 billion of public money, on top of a 20-year inflation-linked electricity price guarantee.

Mr Tice said he had no problem with new technologies but argued that wind farms demanded ever higher inflation-linked fixed prices for longer periods. He said bids announced in January 2026 sought 20-year contracts, an extra five years, and were pitched above the market price of electricity. He warned that bills would rise by another 20 to 25% on January 1.

Speaking to Jacob Rees-Mogg, Mr Tice said wind does not always blow and backup generation is needed when it does not. He argued that the combined cost of renewables and backup must be higher than gas or nuclear backup alone. He also said transmission costs were rising because wind farms in Scotland require cables and pylons to carry power to demand in the south east.

GB News reported that Mr Tice cited more than 20 gigawatts of wind built over the past decade and said wind was generating 'literally 5%' in recent days. He said backup operators called on at short notice were charging around 10 times the normal market price. He described the situation as a 'net zero rip-off' and said a Reform government would focus on gas and nuclear.

Mr Tice said he had warned offshore wind operators during Allocation Round 7 that a Reform government would not be bound by their bids. He argued it was 'perfectly reasonable to break the contract'. Jacob Rees-Mogg put it to him that reneging on commitments could damage the word of the British government. Mr Tice replied that the operators had been warned before they bid.

GB News also read out a response from the energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, who said the investment was 'another vote of confidence in British homegrown, clean energy' and would create jobs and lower bills. Mr Tice rejected that, saying it was 'simply not true'.