The boss of GB Energy has told Sky News it could take 20 years to deliver a Labour government pledge of 1,000 jobs for Aberdeen.

Sir Keir Starmer promised voters his flagship green initiative, which will be headquartered in the northeast of Scotland, would cut consumer energy bills by as much as £300.

It is one of Labour’s five key missions for this parliament after a manifesto commitment to “save families hundreds of pounds on their bills, not just in the short term, but for good”.

In his first broadcast interview, Juergen Maier, appointed by Downing Street as GB Energy’s start-up chairman, suggested this was a “very long-term project” spanning decades and repeatedly refused to say when household prices would be slashed.

“I know that you are asking me for a date as to when I can bring that, but GB Energy has only just been brought into creation and we will bring energy bills down,” Mr Maier said.

The state-owned company will not supply power to homes but it will invest in new renewable projects while attempting to attract private investors.

Aberdeen HQ ‘nervous’

Labour hopes GB Energy will help workers move from oil and gas and has pledged 1,000 jobs for Aberdeen, where the initiative will be based.

Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce told Sky News the estimated 50,000 local people currently employed in the industry are “nervous”.

Chief executive Russell Borthwick said: “I think the [GB Energy] ambition is good. It needs some quick wins.

“Right now, this city is nervous. We need to give the industry more confidence that things are going to start moving more quickly.

“What we do have is not a great deal of progress. We’ve had a lot of positive meetings with GB Energy. I think we are really looking over the next six months for that to be delivered on.”

1,000 jobs in 20 years? ‘Absolutely’

It comes after Energy Minister Michael Shanks MP recently said the UK government had “not moved away” from an ambition of creating “over 1,000 jobs”.

Sky News pushed Mr Maier for clarity on this pledge given the looming crisis in the North Sea industry.

He said: “Great British Energy itself is going to create over the next five years, 200 or 300 jobs in Aberdeen. That will be the size of our team. I have said in the very long term when we become a major energy champion it may be many more than that.”

Pressed to define “long term”, he replied: “Look, we grow these companies. Energy companies grow over 10 or 20 years, and we are going to be around in 20 years.”

He said “absolutely” when asked directly if it could take two decades to fulfil the commitment of 1,000 jobs.

‘Huge risk of not delivering’

Unions told Sky News there is a risk of GB Energy over-promising and under-delivering.

Unite’s Scottish Secretary Derek Thomson said: “If you look at how many jobs are going to go in the northeast, if GB energy does not pick up the pace and start to move workers in there and start to create proper green jobs, then I’m afraid we could be looking at a desolation of the northeast.”

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Prospect, which represents more than 22,000 workers across the energy industry, said the current vision seems risky.

Richard Hardy, Scotland secretary, said: “I don’t want to be accused of cynicism, but I do want to see a plan.

“If what happens is that it only creates 200 or 300 jobs, then I think most people would see that as being a failure. There is a huge risk for them in not actually delivering.

“They must understand the political risk they are taking in doing this. It has to be a success for them because otherwise it is going to be a stick to beat them with.”

The UK economy is forecast to improve more slowly than previously predicted after stagnant growth late last year.

The EY ITEM Club expects UK gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 1% in 2025, down from a previous estimate of 1.5%.

The economic forecaster is the latest influential group to cut its predictions amid continued pressure on businesses, which face further tax and wage rises in April.

It represents another blow to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ hopes of rapidly growing the economy.

The forecasts also point to 0.8% growth across the economy last year, suggesting only a slight acceleration in economic growth.

It comes after a weaker second half of 2024, with a worse-than-expected 0.1% rise in GDP in November and a 0.1% monthly decline in October.

The economy had flatlined over the third quarter of the year.

But the UK is expected to see stronger growth next year, with the forecasts indicating it could see a 1.6% rise in 2026.

Anna Anthony, EY UK regional managing partner, said: “Despite the subdued finish to 2024, there are signs that the UK economy could turn a corner and achieve stronger levels of growth this year.

“Following a prolonged period of financial uncertainty, we should start to see an improvement in consumer confidence as real wages continue to increase, with many households feeling less of a financial squeeze by the end of 2025.”

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She added: “The outlook for UK business is more of a mixed picture.

“While business investment is set to increase, tightening financial conditions and global trade uncertainty are expected to weigh on private sector confidence in the first half of this year.”

Barclays says an IT glitch that left some customers locked out of their accounts has been resolved after the disruption entered a third day.

The bank said the “technical issue” has been fixed and delayed payments processed.

In a statement on Sunday, Barclays said: “We are working on bringing balances up to date for some of our customers and addressing any outstanding issues.

“We are very sorry for any disruption and will ensure that no impacted customer is left out of pocket.”

The IT glitch is not believed to be related to a cyber attack or malicious activity.

The disruption started on Friday – on what was payday for many British workers and the deadline for self-assessment tax returns.

Barclays apologised to people who had been affected and promised no one would be left out of pocket.

It added that call centres would be open for longer this weekend and the bank will be proactively contacting customers who may be vulnerable.

However, the company’s handling of complaints provoked an angry reaction online.

Customers have posted on X that they were unable to buy shopping for themselves and their young children or pay their bills.

In response to one user who said her household “has no access to money”, the Barclays UK Help account asked: “Are there any friends or family who can offer support?”

When she said she didn’t and criticised the reply as “so triggering”, the bank’s X account posted links to the Trussell Trust, a charity that runs food banks, and Citizens Advice, which offers help for a range of problems.

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The beginning of the year is also a key time for people who file self-assessment tax returns.

In a statement, HMRC said it is “working closely” with Barclays to minimise any impact on those submitting their self-assessments.

An HMRC spokesperson said: “Our services are working as normal, so customers will still have been able to file their returns on time.

“Also, the issues will not result in late payment penalties as they don’t apply until 1 March.”