Energy minister: ‘every penny’ levied on household energy bills will be scrutinised

But Michael Shanks says government will not be rushed into plans to reduce costs faced by households due to war in Iran Britain’s energy minister has said “every penny” levied on household energy bills will be scrutinised after suppliers warned that households could face a price hike of £250 a year due to the war in Iran. Michael Shanks told MPs that the government would stand ready to provide support wherever needed, but it would not be rushed into plans to reduce the costs faced by households or offer direct financial support. The government is under increasing pressure to commit to protecting energy bill payers from soaring energy markets as the crisis in the Gulf continues to disrupt global supplies of oil and gas. The biggest supply shock in the history of the energy markets has caused Europe’s gas prices to climb by 40% in less than three weeks. For motorists, the crisis has already caused petrol to rise by 10p at the pump to more than 142p a litre while the diesel price has climbed 20p higher to more than 162p a litre. The UK’s biggest energy trade association on Tuesday called on the government to immediately bring together “a vaccine-style taskforce” to addr