Andy Burnham’s Great British Grid (GBG) is intended to compete for future electricity transmission projects, rather than take over existing grid assets or replace private network operators. The proposal therefore falls short of “public control”, but could give the state a stronger role in bidding for new work and help put pressure on costs.

GBG is expected to operate as a branch of Great British Energy, initially drawing on its remaining funding: the article estimates about £4bn is left from an £8.3bn parliamentary allocation, with perhaps £2bn available to GBG. That is modest beside the roughly £70bn planned for grid upgrades between 2026 and 2031. The article argues that GBG’s value may lie less in its own spending than in giving the regulator better information about construction costs; competitive tendering already exists under a 2023 regime, and the author says GBG will need freedom from restrictive public sector procedures to work effectively.