Kwasi Kwarteng has today (Wednesday 30 March 2022) appointed Peter Mather as a Non-Executive Board Member at the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The board sets the vision for the department and guides overarching policy. Board members provide advice to the Secretary of State and the department’s executive team.

Peter Mather will lead on the board for overseeing the department’s work on the UK’s transition to a low carbon economy, while prioritising efforts to increase the UK’s clean energy independence by increasing home-grown energy and renewables.

Peter’s role will be vital in shaping government policy that helps consumers, businesses, and heavy industry to reduce emissions and reliance on expensive fossil fuels, while harnessing the benefits of cheap, clean renewable energy.

Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

In our national mission to ensure the UK’s clean energy independence, Peter’s wealth of experience in the energy industry will prove invaluable as we ​ensure our energy security into the future by boosting nuclear power and renewables in the UK.

I look forward to working with him, and the rest of our board, to deliver on our energy security goals and to supercharge our use of cheap, clean renewables.

Peter has a wealth of knowledge in energy policy and strategy, with nearly 40 years of experience at BP. Peter has recently stepped down from BP as Regional Senior Vice President, Europe, and UK Head of Country, where he was deeply involved with the company’s net zero strategy, sitting on government councils for Jet Zero, Hydrogen, Carbon Capture Usage and Storage, as well as chairing the Business in the Community Climate Action Leadership team and the CBI’s Climate Change and Energy Board.

While the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels continues to fall, there will be an ongoing need for oil and gas over the coming decades while we ramp up renewable energy capacity, as recognised by the independent Climate Change Committee. The UK government is clear that we cannot have a cliff-edge where North Sea oil and gas are abandoned overnight. Turning off the taps would put energy security, British jobs and new industries like hydrogen and Carbon Capture and Storage at risk – and we would be even more dependent on foreign imports.

This appointment underlines the Business and Energy Secretary’s commitment to utilise commercial experience and expertise to bolster the government’s efforts to strengthen energy security and support Britain’s transition away from volatile and expensive fossil fuels over the coming decades.

Non-executive board members are experts from outside government who provide oversight and challenge to the department in the development of policy and the management of resources.

BP is also working to cut carbon emissions and decarbonise its operations by generating cleaner energy through renewables such as wind and solar.

The second Analysis in Government (AiG) Month will take place throughout May 2022 with the theme of #AnalysisCollaborate

Successful collaborations are the key to great working relationships and that’s why this year we’ll build on last year’s AiG Month (which had a theme of “Analysis Connect”) by exploring the brilliant things we can achieve by working collaboratively.

You can expect more insightful people stories, engaging events, interviews with senior leaders… plus we’ve even got an Evaluation Day and a Hackathon that you can get involved with.

There’s nothing better than bringing together different skills from diverse teams and we’re super excited to celebrate AiG Month with analysts from across government and beyond.

Don’t miss our launch event on Tuesday 3 May

AiG Month will include events, talks and activities covering interesting and useful content, and enabling you to connect with analysts from all different departments, grades and professions.

COMING SOON: Keep checking this page for our AiG Month preview… coming soon.

Inside the minds of our senior leaders

• Analysis Function Leader Q&A: During the month, we’ll share insightful Q&A from senior leaders where we’ll ask pertinent questions affecting analysts across government, but also tackle the really important issues like scones… jam or cream first?!
• Desert Island Discs: Head of the AF Sir Ian Diamond chooses eight recordings, a book and a luxury item that he would take if he were to be cast away on a desert island…

Challenge Analysts

• The AF Hackathon: Form a team (across departments and professions) and work together on an analytical task, for example a data visualisation creation. We will crown the winning team!

Live events

We’re collaborating with a host of colleagues to bring you a range of interesting seminars throughout the month.

• Analysis across Government: Analytical teams from departments such as HM Revenue and Customs, Ministry of Defence and the Office for National Statistics join us to explore analysis across government.
• AFx launch: Find out about our new AFx events and how you’ll be able to get involved this year
• More events to be announced soon!

As we build the calendar of events, we’ll publish more details here and on the AF Eventbrite page.

People stories

A focus on the biggest analysis stories from your departments and professions wiht range of articles for you to dip into throughout the month.

Dates and locations

• All events will take place online during May 2022.
• You will have time for collaborating and networking with colleagues across government with similar interests and work streams.

Who is Analysis in Government Month for?

Analysis in Government Month is open to:

• Members of the Analysis Function and local government analysts
• Aspiring analysts (both within and outside of government)
• Policy professionals, Finance professionals, Operational Delivery Professions and anyone with an interest in government analysis, for example; other civil servants, academics or analysts in non-government organisations

Registration

Can’t wait?! To get into the spirit of AiG Month why not recap on videos, blogs and events from AiG Month 2021?

What is the Analysis Function?

Watch our video Proud to be the Government Analysis Function and why not subscribe to our channel while you’re there?

Contact

If you have any specific queries about this event, please email Analysis.Function@ons.gov.uk.

Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart opened an event on Monday 28 March to showcase the work the South Wales Industrial Cluster (SWIC) and welcome the creation of a new membership organisation, Net Zero Industry Wales that will run SWIC.

SWIC has been awarded more than £20 million by the UK Government.

The South Wales region is the second largest industrial emitter in the UK, releasing the equivalent of 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year across industry and energy generation. In 2019, the UK became one of the first countries in the world to legislate that it will reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

If the UK is to hit this target, we need new ways of heating homes, powering businesses and industry and fuelling transport. This requires reducing emissions as far as possible using methods such as energy efficiency, fuel switching and carbon capture utilisation and storage as well as offsetting carbon dioxide by other means, such as negative emissions technologies.

Simon Hart, Secretary of State for Wales, said:

It’s fantastic to see this project moving forward with our partners in Welsh Government, industry and academia coming together to help deliver our Net Zero ambitions.

The UK Government has invested £21.5m pounds in this project, a sign of just how vital this work is. There is a huge challenge ahead of us and the plan to decarbonise a swathe of heavy industry across south Wales is extremely ambitious.

But I’m confident that our Net Zero targets will be achieved, in part by the establishment of projects like the South Wales Industrial Cluster that utilise the innovation and collective strength of business and industry.

Dr Chris Williams, Head of Industrial Decarbonisation at Industry Wales, said:

This announcement today is the product of many years of hard work by many Welsh companies, Governments, Universities and like-minded people who realised that to achieve a restorative and net zero economy in Wales we would have to work together to map out what is needed from every sector in Wales.

What we are working on isn’t about changing the industrial make up of Wales, it’s about innovating it, being ahead of the curve when it comes to decarbonisation to ensure that we keep these industries and jobs in Wales. It is also about examining opportunities to create exciting new industries in Wales, as well as revitalising and sustaining existing ones.

Wales has a long and rich industrial heritage, leading the way in the manufacturing and engineering revolution. Now we plan to be a leader of the green revolution and the creation of Net Zero Industry Wales is certainly going to help us achieve that in a more joined up and cohesive way.

More information about the South Wales Industrial Cluster can be read here