London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Rishi Sunak: windfall tax an option if oil firms fail to invest in UK

Rishi Sunak: windfall tax an option if oil firms fail to invest in UK

Chancellor says he is ‘pragmatic’ about introducing a levy on energy companies to ease cost of living crisis

Rishi Sunak has insisted he is “pragmatic” about the idea of a windfall tax on energy companies, claiming “no options are off the table” in the clearest sign yet that the government is planning measures to tackle the cost of living crisis.

Labour has been calling for a windfall tax on oil firms, which have benefited from rocketing global prices, with the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, suggesting the proceeds be used to cut domestic energy bills.

Sunak and Boris Johnson had previously suggested such a tax would disincentivise investment in the North Sea.

They appear to be warming to the idea, however, amid intense pressure to do more to help hard-pressed households weathering surging inflation. It is understood Treasury officials are working up possible options.

Sunak told the BBC in an interview on Thursday that he was “not naturally attracted to windfall taxes in general” but was “pragmatic about it”.

“These companies are making a significant amount of profit at the moment because of these very elevated prices,” the chancellor said. “What I want to see is significant investment back in the UK economy to support jobs, to support energy security, and I want to see that soon. If that doesn’t happen then no options are off the table.”

Bernard Looney, the chief executive of BP, said at the company’s annual meeting in London on Thursday that a windfall tax could discourage investment in the UK – though he said it would not affect BP’s immediate plans.

“By definition windfall taxes are unpredictable – and so would challenge investment in home-grown energy,” he said.

BP was planning £18bn of investments in the UK over the next eight years, which he said were not contingent on whether or not there was a windfall tax. “We’re also backing Britain because it is a great place to invest your money,” he added. “We would love to invest even more – and one of the key foundations of any such decisions will be a stable fiscal environment.”

He said BP’s UK tax bill would “rise four to five times this year – to well over £1bn”, arguing “we rightly pay higher taxes” due to higher oil prices and profits.

Looney refused to say whether he had spoken directly to the prime minister regarding a windfall tax. Asked why he had commented publicly, he said: “We wanted to put our position on the record.”

Sunak had already hinted at a shift in his position in a Mumsnet interview last week. The business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, is known to be less enthusiastic, however, saying: “I think it discourages investment.” An aide said Kwarteng remained opposed to windfall taxes in principle.

Johnson appeared to echo that view on Thursday, telling LBC radio: “The disadvantage with those sorts of taxes is that they deter investment in the very things that they need to be investing in – new technology, new energy supply.” He did not rule out such a measure, however.

The shadow environment secretary, Ed Miliband, said: “The case for a windfall tax on the oil and gas giants making record profits whilst energy bills spiral for working people has been clear since Labour first proposed it in January. The Conservatives have opposed it at every turn. Now, as their excuses are wearing thin, we hear that they are finally considering it. But how much more time does this government need to make up its mind, whilst the British people suffer?”

The chair of Tesco, John Allan, added his voice to calls for a windfall tax earlier this week, as did the senior Conservative backbencher Robert Halfon.

Allan said: “I think there’s an overwhelming case for a windfall tax on profits from those energy producers, fed back to those most in need of help with energy prices. I think that would be the single biggest thing that could be done.”

Sunak’s spring statement in March included several significant tax cuts, including an increase in the national insurance threshold that partly offset the impact of the health and social care levy.

But he was criticised for failing to do enough for the poorest people. A recent survey by the Food Foundation thinktank found that more than 2 million adults had gone without food for an entire day in the past month because they could not afford to eat.

Sunak has said he wants to wait until the Treasury has more information about how sharply energy prices are set to rise in the autumn before taking more action. But he dropped a hint on Thursday that new measures were coming, telling Sky News he was “ready to do more”.

“I know these are anxious times, and because the challenges we face are global in nature, I can’t just make them all disappear. But where we can make a difference, of course, we are, and that’s why we’re investing billions of pounds already to support families and businesses through some of the challenging times ahead,” he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×