James Court of the Renewable Energy Association, a body representing green energy manufacturers, said the cut was “beyond their worst fears” and that “it is hard to see how homeowners could see solar as a viable option for the foreseeable future following these disproportionate cuts.”
According to Labour Department figures released on Friday, the number of people with jobs fell by 112,000 in August. The data do not go into detail about why specific industries suffered, but it is thought that a temporary hiatus in the pornography industry had a significant impact on the figures. The adult film business was brought to a standstill for 12 days in August, after one of its actors was found to have HIV. The jobs data do not drill down into such specific industries, but the wider movie business lost 22,000 paid jobs – around 6pc of its total workforce.