Why wait for the Finance Minister to announce rises in utilities bills during his budget speech when you could read it all in the Daily Mail the next day? Actually what is reported in the Mail is what one would expect in a normal country – and the leader of the opposition should know given his enthusiasm on regulators and consumer bodies.
The Daily Mail reports:
Families should brace themselves for steep increases in their fuel bills, Britain’s energy regulator warned last night. Ofgem boss Alistair Buchanan said he feared a crisis in Russian gas supplies will ‘push up prices’ in the next few years. The warning will worry millions of households, particularlyparticularly pensioners who are often forced to choose between heating and food, and families with young children who cannot afford to keep warm in the winter months.
The average gas and electricity bill, known as ‘dual fuel’, has more than doubled in the past five years from £580 to £1,240 a year – an increase of nearly 115 per cent. Mr Buchanan said he feared that bills could climb even higher due to Europe’s growing dependence on gas supplies from overseas, mainly Russia. The country’s giant Gazprom accounts for a third of western Europe’s gas imports. Last night, Mr Buchanan said: ‘Gas scarcity in Europe could push up prices for British consumers.’
It’s gas not oil but there you are. It’s a regulator giving the news and guess what – barring very unusual circumstances neither Labour nor the Tories nor the Libdems will be turning the inevitable rise in international prices (this time thanks to the Russian shenanigans – remember last winter?) into a national blame game.
One reply on “Here's Your Answer Joseph”
Don’t take too much comfort in that “it’s gas not oil”. If high gas prices persist, people who presently use those systems are likely to switch to oil products. Higher demand and higher oil prices too.