Around 40% of British families will live in “fuel poverty” if the country’s authorities don’t take steps to lower energy prices, according to the head of the energy company E.ON, Michael Lewis, as quoted by The Independent.
“Some people are at the edge and that will get worse,” Lewis said, adding that one third of E.ON’s customers were slashing spending on food.
The top official called for the “broadest shoulders” to bear the burden, providing no details on the specific steps the government should take.
“The most important thing is that the government intervenes – it is up to the government to decide how they fund that,” he said.
The annual energy price cap is expected to rise as high as £3,000 ($3,748) as early as autumn, in comparison with the £1,277 ($1,595) that families were paying before April, according to Lewis, who said increasing Universal Credit payments would help people on the lowest incomes most affected by the crisis.