Is Boris Johnson really planning to increase state investment spending – or is it just spin?

Do ministers think all their ambitious infrastructure goals can be achieved through private spending and rhetorical ‘boosterism’ from the prime minister? Or are the real government investment spending commitments still to come? Ben Chu investigates

Analysts estimate that £50bn of capital investment will be required to achieve 100 per cent renewable domestic electricity, which puts the new £160m commitment from the government in context (Reuters)

In his speech at the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday, Boris Johnson made the eye-catching claim that wind turbines will provide all the electricity used by UK households within a decade.

“Wind farms to power every home,” was the Daily Mail’s headline, based on an overnight pre-briefing on the contents of the prime minister’s speech.  

Yet the only financial commitment actually in the speech with respect to achieving this green energy revolution by 2030 was £160m of government investment for port infrastructure to help manufacture and install wind turbines.