PM urged to help energy users as price cap rises

Keir Starmer has been urged to intervene to help households tackle rising gas and electricity bills this the winter, as average energy bills rise by £149 a year from today.

- Alex Lawson

The Resolution Foundation thinktank said the prime minister must "do more to support vulnerable households" no longer eligible for winter fuel payments as well as those who were never eligible - after its research found 7.7 million households were likely to struggle to heat their homes.

Starmer has faced sustained criticism over the government's decision to cut winter fuel payments for all but the poorest pensioners receiving pension credit.

The energy price cap, set by the industry regulator, Ofgem, and covering October to December, will rise by 10% to £1,717 a year for an average dual-fuel household in Great Britain paying by direct debit.

An increase in wholesale energy costs has pushed up bills, and the new cap is a significant rise from its previous level of £1,568, which had been in place since July. Annual bills remain far higher than before the energy crisis, which began in 2021 and was exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine the following year.