UK: REGULATORS' POWER.

The jobs the utility regulators took up were ill-defined, allowing the raw recruits to carve out far bigger and far more controversial roles than ever expected.

Short of dating the Princess of Wales, or streaking at Wimbledon, or both, there is no speedier way of achieving fame and notoriety in Britain these days than to become a utility regulator. Who would have heard of Professor Stephen Littlechild had he remained just an academic, professor of commerce at Birmingham University? Ian Byatt's former role as deputy chief economic adviser at the Treasury did not get him many headlines.