Government must stop dithering over energy bill support for the vulnerable | Nils Pratley

Ministers should introduce a properly targeted social tariff rather than tinker with the warm homes discount

• Energy bills forecast to jump by £276 a year from January

• What to do as prices head for £2,000 a year

After the hopeful good vibes in Liverpool, here comes a reminder of what is coming this winter: a mighty new year shock in energy bills, hitting the poorest hardest, that the government looks unprepared for.

From the quarterly price cap level of £1,723 that will apply from Thursday for an average dual-fuel household, take your pick from a range of forecasts for the first three months of 2027. The energy consultancy Cornwall Insight says £1,999. The big supplier EDF thinks £2,076. Split the difference and we’re talking about an 18% quarter-on-quarter rise in the unit rate at the worst time of the year, the months of peak consumption.