Surging bills and Ed Miliband's energy zealotry will push Labour out of power

Surging bills and Ed Miliband's energy zealotry will push Labour out of powerANALYSIS - DAVID WILLIAMSON: Leaving UK oil and gas fields untapped when bills are skyrocketing and imports vulnerable will strike cash-strapped Brits as insane Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By David Williamson, Chief Political Commentator 07:00, Thu, May 28, 2026 Would a Prime Minister Andy Burnham choose Ed Miliband as his Chancellor? (Image: PA)NOTHING sums up Britain’s traditional commitment to common sense like John Maynard Keynes's maxim: “When the facts change, I change my mind.”Here’s a fact: The cost of energy is going up and millions of Britons are about to pay more, but Labour is refusing to green-light a new chapter of oil and gas exploration in the North Sea. Annual household energy prices will jump by 13% in July, with customers using typical amounts of gas and electricity expected to pay £1,862. When the cost of living is one of the biggest worries in the country, yet another hike in bills will pull even tighter than the knot in the stomach of many Britons. window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) The war in Iran has fuelled the price rise and Tehran has learned how easily it can sow international chaos by disrupting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, there is the frightening possibility that Russia in wartime could disrupt deliveries of liquified natural gas (LNG) to the UK. One of the primary tasks of a Government is keeping the nation’s lig...