Suppliers demand urgent action to halt energy crisis as household bills set to jump 50 per cent

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Energy suppliers have demanded urgent intervention from the government to protect households from the spiralling cost of gas and electricity amid a national crisis that is expected to see bills jump by more than 50 per cent next year. The boss of E.On called for the government to adopt “radical” measures to cut customers’ bills, including shouldering some of the cost of rising energy prices using general taxation. “However, as the current crisis gets worse and the latest wholesale price increases show no sign of abating, the sums involved are now so big that the government will probably need to take more radical action to reassure families and businesses worried about energy bills,” he said. “As an example, that could mean the government taking some or all of the cost rises onto its balance sheet, allowing these sudden price spikes to be paid back later and reducing the immediate burden on consumers.” Suppliers are also calling on the government to ramp up efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce the UK’s dependency on imported gas.