Labour said it would nationalise Openreach – the digital network arm of the country’s biggest broadband and mobile phone provider. As well as this Labour intends to nationalise parts of BT Technology, BT Enterprise and BT Consumer. Ed Davey was speaking to talkRADIO’s Julia Hartley-Brewer about Labour’s ambitious plans.
Sir Davey said: “I think it is ridiculously expensive and unnecessarily expensive.
“You can achieve this for far less money through tough regulation.
“It doesn’t require these ridiculous billions of pounds that Labour are spending everywhere even when it is not needed.”
The talkRADIO host replied: “But it’s not just making it available.
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“Everyone who is sensible wants broadband to be available.
“It’s vital for business and just a normal part of daily life in the 21st century however, free broadband.
“Do you think broadband should be at the top of the list of priorities that be handed out free?”
Ed Davey said in response: “Well we don’t hand out water or gas or electricity or other things free so it will be the first utility ever to be handed out free.
He told the BBC: “These are very, very ambitious ideas and the Conservative Party have their own ambitious idea for full fibre for everyone by 2025.
“How we do it is not straight forward. It needs funding, it is very big numbers, so we are talking 30 to 40 billion pounds per building.
“If you are giving it away over an eight year time frame it is a another £30 or £40 billion.
“You are not short of £100 billion.”
