MILLIONS FACE ENERGY BILLS 'RIP-OFF'

MILLIONS face being "ripped off" as energy bills are set to rise again despite Labour vows to cut them, campaigners warn.

- Katie Elliott

Price cap hikes mean households may be having to find nearly £300 more a year than when the party took power a year ago. Since then the cap has jumped four times, even though Rachel Reeves promised in the election to take £300 off bills by 2030. Critics say her policies are driving them up.

Forecasts from energy researchers Cornwall Insight show the Ofgem cap is set to rise by 1% in October, pushing the average annual bill from £1,720 to £1,737.

Part of the latest rise comes from Labour's expansion of the Warm Home Discount scheme, which will add some £15 to annual bills - or £420million across the country.

Jonathan Bean, policy and Parliament lead at campaign group Fuel Poverty Action, said: “We're being ripped off.

“High energy prices result from the complete failure of Ofgem and the Government to clamp down on huge profits and money wasted on marketing, bonuses and CEO salaries. Labour promised a £300 bill saving in their manifesto. Instead, they've allowed energy bills to increase since the election.”

Simon Francis, campaign coordinator at the charity End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: “We had called for ministers to fund the expansion by looking at the billions of pounds energy networks have generated in excess profits, but they obviously chose not to.”