Tracker: The government’s proposed new public bodies

Great British Energy

Progress: Bill passing through parliament

GB Energy will not be an energy retail company but seeks to invest in, manage and operate clean energy projects alongside private sector firms. GB Energy will also partner with other bodies such as the Crown Estate, Great British Nuclear, and the National Wealth Fund to support domestic clean energy supply chains.

GB Energy will be owned by the secretary of state for energy security and net zero and overseen by an independent board of industry leaders including its chair, Juergen Maier, a former chief executive of Siemens UK. It aims to be self-financing in the long term but will initially be backed by £8.3 billion generated from windfall taxes on the profits of oil and gas companies.

National Energy Systems Operator

Progress: Launched

The National Energy Systems Operator (NESO) oversees the planning and design of Great Britain’s electricity and gas networks. It will work alongside GB Energy to support the government’s clean energy mission by helping to connect new generation energy projects with the electricity grid.

NESO’s launch follows the acquisition of National Grid’s Electricity System Operator, which will be transferred to public ownership. The body will be chaired by former E.ON CEO Dr Paul Golby.

National Wealth Fund

Progress: Launched

Labour has rebranded and expanded the UK Infrastructure Bank into the new National Wealth Fund, which it describes as ‘the UK’s impact investor’ and a cornerstone of its industrial strategy. It will invest in projects across the UK and advise – and lend to – local authorities. The National Wealth Fund will build on the existing capabilities and £22bn capital of the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB), and also takes on its Leeds headquarters and board.

The fund will be allocated an additional £7.3bn, but it also aims to attract £3 private sector investment for every £1 of public money. It has been projected by government to generate an annual profit of £135m for the Exchequer by 2029–30. The fund will invest in five priority sectors: clean energy, digital, transport, water, and waste.

Industrial Strategy Council

Progress: Launched in shadow form

A previous iteration of the Industrial Strategy Council (ISC) was established in November 2018 by Theresa May to measure and evaluate of the government’s progress in delivering its industrial strategy and its impact on the economy. It was disbanded by Boris Johnson’s administration in 2021.

Labour has promised a new Industrial Strategy Council with a similar remit and a new statutory footing, which it hopes will allow it to provide independent analysis with less political vulnerability. It will follow the model of bodies like the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), reporting to parliament as well as government. Ahead of its establishment, the council exists in an interim advisory form chaired by Claire Barclay, CEO of Microsoft UK.

National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority

Progress: Publicly announced

The Treasury has announced a new National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) which will bring infrastructure strategy and delivery under the same roof to address systemic delivery challenges hindering the growth of the UK’s infrastructure sector. It will be operational by spring 2025 and responsible for delivering the government’s 10-year infrastructure strategy.

NISTA is absorbing the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) and the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA). It will be overseen by current National Infrastructure Commission chair Sir John Armitt during the transition period.

Great British Railways

Progress: Bill currently passing through parliament

Bringing rail into public ownership, Great British Railways (GBR) will be an independent body responsible for day-to-day operational delivery of railways. The government are aiming for a unified system that will deliver reliable, affordable and efficient services.

Private contracts will be folded into GBR as they expire or are broken, and the body is expected to be delivered by the end of Labour’s first term in office. The CEO of Network Rail and leaders within the Department for Transport have convened the body in shadow form ahead of primary legislation passing. 

Passenger Standards Authority

Progress: Bill passing through parliament

Skills England

Progress: Launched in shadow form

Skills England aims to develop a skilled work force and improve productivity. It will do so by analysing skills needs on a national and local level; ensuring that there is training and qualifications available to address these gaps; and working with Combined Authorities to construct local ‘skills systems’. It will also work closely with the Industrial Strategy Council to align their strategies.

The education secretary launched Skills England in shadow form within the Department for Education in July 2024, and it has since published a first report setting out the context for its establishment and a broad initial assessment of the UK’s skills needs. It will be established in phases over the next year and is now taking consultation from stakeholders to shape decisions on how it will execute its functions. 

Regulatory Innovation Office

Progress: Launched within DSIT

Announced in the Labour manifesto, the new Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) seeks to adapt the UK’s existing diffused and vertically organised framework of regulation to the rapid development of cross-cutting technologies such as AI. It will do so by supporting regulators to develop tech capability and update policy faster, and ensuring a joined up approach between regulatory bodies across sectors. The RIO’s stated mission is to speed up widespread access to these technologies by reducing what the government calls ‘regulatory barriers to innovation’.

The RIO has been launched within DSIT. It will incorporate the existing functions of the Regulatory Horizons Council and the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund.

National Data Library

Progress: Publicly announced

National Care Service

Progress: Publicly announced

Fair Work Agency

Progress: Bill passing through parliament

School Support Staff Negotiating Body

Progress: Bill passing through parliament

Armed Forces Commissioner

Progress: Bill passing through parliament

Border Security Command

Progress: Launched in shadow form

One of the first bodies to be launched by the Labour government in July 2024, the new Border Security Command is designed to tackle immigration crime including small boat crossings. It will coordinate the work of other agencies such as the National Crime Agency, the Immigration Enforcement and Border Force, and the police. It has been given initial funding to invest in monitoring technology, improved methods of intelligence collection and additional personnel across the system.

The Border Security Commander, Martin Hewitt, will report directly to the home secretary.

National Centre of Policing

Progress: Publicly announced

Ethics and Integrity Commission

Progress: Publicly announced

Independent Football Regulator

Progress: Bill passing through parliament

The Labour government has reintroduced the Football Governance Bill, which failed to pass through parliament before the general election in May 2024. It will establish the Independent Football Regulator with a strategic purpose to ensure the sustainability of English football and powers to oversee clubs in England’s top five men’s tiers.

The regulator’s three core objectives are to ensure that football clubs are financially sustainable, to enhance the resilience of the English football system, and to safeguard the heritage of clubs. Examples of how it aims to do this include preventing clubs from joining ‘breakaway leagues’ such as the proposed European Super League, and strengthening tests for prospective owners to prevent mismanagement.