UK gas prices reach four-month high: comment

"Gas prices rising to near the peaks of the start of the US-Iran war is a reminder that whatever we do in the UK, it has no significant impact on the price we pay for gas. The reality is that we are tied to international markets and the volatility that has come twice in the past few years from war thousands of miles away.

"North Sea gas output will continue to decline whatever happens as it’s a mature basin, so unless we speed the switch to electric heat pumps powered by British renewables, more and more of us will be at the whim of Putin and Trump for the prices we pay to heat our homes with a gas boiler. If the country wants energy security, it’s the transition to heat pumps and net zero emissions which means less dependence on burning oil and gas, that makes the biggest difference"

“Some good news is that has more renewables have been plugged into the grid, this time round the gas price has less of an effect on electricity prices. Last year renewables helped drive down the wholesale cost of electricity by a third.”