Ministers urged to act as households in Great Britain face energy bill ‘anxiety’

Ministers face growing calls to cut utility bills as millions of households in Great Britain face energy cost “anxiety,” with gas and electricity costs forecast to rise to almost £1,900 from this summer. The typical dual-fuel bill is expected to climb by nearly 13% under the government’s energy price cap, adding £209 a year to household costs, in a blow to families already hit by rising prices for essentials. Higher energy bills are expected to weigh on households through the summer months after the Iran war caused the UK’s gas market price to double earlier this year, according to market experts at the consultancy Cornwall Insight. They warned that the quarterly price cap is likely to remain above pre-crisis levels into early winter even if tensions ease, leaving households exposed to elevated costs as demand for heating rises in colder months. Craig Lowrey, the principal consultant at Cornwall, said that unless the price cap drops in the autumn, the government “will need to think seriously about targeted support for the most vulnerable”. Rachel Reeves last week announced a package of measures to cut the cost of living but has not so far offered support for domestic energy costs. She told MPs on Thursday that Treasury officials were working up contingency plans ahead of the winter; but that any support scheme for households would be “targeted and temporary”. …