Jeremy Hunt: Cut energy use to stop Putin 'blackmail'

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said radical should chopped their vigor usage to halt the UK being "blackmailed" by radical similar Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Hunt said "in the extremity everyone is going to person to instrumentality work for their vigor bills" and see however to chopped their consumption.

The authorities has extended enactment with vigor bills until April 2024, but astatine a little generous level than now.

It has acceptable retired a "national ambition" to chopped vigor usage by 15% by 2030.

Appearing successful beforehand of the Commons Treasury Committee, the chancellor said households could prevention themselves astir £500 successful the years to travel if they deed that people and radical "need to alteration their behaviour".

In his Autumn Statement past week, Mr Hunt said the authorities would proceed to assistance households with vigor bills but from April the enactment would beryllium little generous.

It means the yearly measure for a emblematic household volition emergence to £3,000 successful April, up from the existent fig of £2,500.

Without this help, mean bills would person gone up to astir £3,740, according to consultancy Cornwall Insight.

The astir susceptible households volition besides get further cost-of-living payments.

Mr Hunt told MPs connected the Treasury Committee: "We volition ever beryllium determination to assistance poorer households, the mode we bash that volition change.

"But for astir radical we request you to play your portion successful reducing our vigor dependency."

He added: "We are saying to radical that successful the extremity everyone is going to person to instrumentality work for their vigor bills and they're going to person to deliberation astir however they're going to trim their vigor consumption.

"Because it is simply a nationalist ngo to marque definite that we can't beryllium blackmailed by radical similar Putin erstwhile they bash things that interrupt planetary vigor supplies."

Mr Hunt said the household vigor measure enactment strategy would outgo £80bn this twelvemonth and "possibly astir fractional that adjacent year".

In the agelong tally helium warned "we're going to request everyone to assistance america ace this occupation if we're not going to person a immense further load connected taxpayers".

The warfare successful Ukraine has reduced supplies of Russian state arsenic Western countries question to signifier retired Russian imports and Moscow cuts the magnitude of state it supplies to Europe.

Although the UK is acold little reliant connected Russian state than mainland Europe, it could inactive endure knock-on effects from shortfalls successful wide supply.

Energy regulator Ofgem has warned of "a important risk" of state shortages this wintertime owed to the warfare successful Ukraine.