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Donald Trump has reignited his war on popular wind power during his UK state visit and urging Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to exploit North Sea gas.

At a joint press conference, the US President repeated his “drill, baby, drill” mantra, while Sir Keir struck a more cautious note, stressing a “pragmatic” mix of fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear in the UK’s energy future.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“The President remains steadfast in towing the line of his fossil fuel backers who are gaslighting the British public about our energy future.

“The truth is, the North Sea is running out of gas – we have burned most of it. By 2027 it won’t even produce enough to heat our homes and only 14% of its original reserves remain commercially viable.

“No amount of bluster about drilling or fracking will bring back cheap gas, all it does is lock households into more reliance on volatile global gas markets.

“The UK is leading the way and showing the world that scaling up renewables and upgrading homes is the fastest, cheapest route to lower bills and lasting energy security.

“Of course we need to go further to bring down bills by reforming electricity pricing, but this won’t be achieved by importing Donald Trump’s fossil fuel agenda.”

A new report from Greenpeace has exposed just how much control fossil gas still has over our electricity bills. Despite making up less than 40% of our power supply, gas-fired power stations set the market price nearly every half hour — inflating costs for households and businesses alike.

This happens because of the way our electricity market is designed: a system called marginal pricing, where the most expensive generator sets the price for everyone.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“This new analysis makes crystal clear what millions of households already feel: the energy market is still rigged in favour of fossil fuel giants.

“Even as renewable generation grows, gas still sets the price of electricity 98% of the time, handing huge profits to energy companies while driving bills higher for households. It’s a structural failure of the market, not a temporary blip.

“The Government’s current strategy is to sit back and hope that marginal pricing will fade as renewables expand. But hope is not a reform plan. Even in a clean system, expensive gas could still set the price during periods of peak demand and households will continue to pay the price.

“Given the failure of the Government’s electricity pricing reform process to deliver meaningful reform so far, new ideas like the one proposed by Greenpeace and Stonehaven to remove gas plants from the wholesale electricity market and place them into a strategic reserve, need to be looked at.

“The electricity market needs structural change, not minor tweaks or warm words.”

Figures have revealed that around 30,000 UK homes were left with insulation so badly fitted it could make cold, damp conditions worse — undermining the very purpose of government-backed schemes designed to cut bills and improve health. The affected homes appear mostly to have been assisted during a period under the previous Government.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“It is unacceptable that tens of thousands of households have been left with poor quality insulation which could make cold, damp homes even worse.

“The public put their trust in these schemes to make homes warmer, healthier and cheaper to heat and any issues must be rectified as soon as possible by skilled workers.

“In our recommendations to Ministers for their Warm Homes Plan, we have made it clear that it must provide a ‘warm homes guarantee’ so people are assured that they will get the benefits promised, not just a box ticked.

“This Plan also needs to start with the people in the coldest, dampest homes supported by properly trained installers and rigorous checks. The Minister’s recent confirmation of 9,000 new subsidised training places for installers is a good start to achieving this.

“More broadly, we also need to see area-based insulation and ventilation upgrades, reforms to fix energy pricing and targeted financial help for households struggling with their bills. Without these safeguards, we risk wasting public money, damaging public trust, and leaving millions stuck in fuel poverty.”

The Met Office have confirmed that 2025 has seen the hottest UK summer on record. With overheating in homes making people ill, we are now seeing fuel poverty as a year-round potential health issue.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“This has been the hottest summer on record and for millions living in fuel poverty, that heat has been dangerous.

“Too many households are trapped in homes that overheat, with poor ventilation, no cooling and energy bills that are so high that people feel unable to run a fan.

“The reality is that fuel poverty doesn’t end in winter. Overheating is making people ill and tragically it can cost lives.

“We urgently need fairer electricity pricing, targeted support for those most at risk and the Government’s Warm Homes Plan must also deliver solutions that help keep homes cool in the summer.

“The Met Office predicts that with the climate crisis continuing, heatwaves will become more common and more severe. This means that the UK’s housing and energy systems must adapt – or more people will suffer every summer.”

Media reports suggest that the Conservative Party will formally join Reform in pushing for more oil and gas extraction from the North Sea.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“The reality is that of all the gas estimated to have been in the North Sea basin, just 14% remains commercially viable according to official statistics.

“Data also show that by 2027, UK gas production is set to fall short of what’s needed just to heat our homes, which currently accounts for 38% of UK gas use. In just two years’ time, more than two-thirds of the UK’s gas needs will be dependent on imports.

“Even if new fields are approved, it won’t be enough to reverse the trend and the UK would still be almost entirely (94%) reliant on imports by 2050.

“Politicians need to heed the clear warning that the North Sea is running out of gas and over reliance on it is a threat to energy security. This has nothing to do with politics or policy — it’s the geological reality after half a century of drilling.”

From 1 January, the EU will introduce its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), charging for the carbon embedded in imported goods.

Without a UK–EU agreement to link their Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS), media reports suggest that this could mean higher costs for UK exporters and, indirectly, higher energy bills — as carbon prices feed into wholesale electricity costs.

Linking the ETS would create a larger, more stable carbon market, reduce price volatility, remove the need for a CBAM between the UK and EU, and help ensure a level playing field for industry.

Negotiations are under way, but there are fears a deal will not be reached in time, prompting calls for a temporary exemption or bridging mechanism.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition commented:

“UK–EU energy cooperation should focus on how it is able to help bring down bills and boost energy security.

“Linking our electricity systems means British households can benefit from the cheapest power available – such as surplus nuclear from France on cold, still winter days – helping to cut the cost of electricity.

“In addition, experts claim that over time, aligning our carbon pricing systems could help to bring greater stability to the wholesale market. But we need to make sure that household energy bills are not hit in the short term and that the benefits are felt now and not at some vague point in the future.”

Electricity pricing reform is also a key part of this debate. Under the current marginal pricing system, even if cheaper power flowed in from an EU interconnector, consumers could still be charged the higher price set by gas-fired generation running at the same time.