ENERGY bills rocket by £700 today — as blackmailing Vladimir Putin threatens to send them even higher by turning off gas supplies.
British Gas, E.ON, Scottish Power and EDF websites were down yesterday as customers tried to submit meter readings before the energy cap rose to £1,971.
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Putin said he would not sell gas to the West unless he is paid in roubles.
Experts warn that five million Brits will be plunged into fuel poverty overnight, as parts of the country are hit by snow.
The energy price cap for 22 million people soars by 54 per cent today — the highest rise on record.
Also, the average Band D council tax will be hiked by around £70 to £1,966 a year.
And the hated National Insurance rise comes on Wednesday — forcing millions to hand over hundreds more to the taxman.
Cabinet ministers fear the crisis will spell disaster for the Government. One told The Sun: “This is going to come back to bite us.”
Rishi Sunak admitted last night that Brits face a tough year — but defended his tax and spend plans.
He told BBC Newscast: “Some of these things are difficult, they’re certainly unpopular, but they’re responsible and I’m not going to deviate from that for some short-term popularity gain.”
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The Chancellor is facing massive pressure to come up with a bigger bills bailout after his mini-Budget bombed.
He has promised £350 off bills for most, eased the tax burden on the lowest paid and promised 1p off income tax in 2024.
But anxious Tory backbenchers warned this was not enough.
Senior Tory MP Robert Halfon told The Sun: “As the cap rises today, it will put huge pressure on millions of families.
“The £9billion spent on cutting energy bills is hugely welcome, but cutting the green levies or introducing a downwards green levies escalator — when international energy prices are so high — would really make a difference.
“Lets not balance environmentalism on the backs of working people.”
The number of English households in “fuel stress” — spending at least ten per cent of their budgets on energy bills — will double to five million, the Resolution Foundation think tank said.
Citizens Advice has seen referrals to food banks shoot up by 44 per cent in a year.
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