Cornwall Insights usually produces accurate forecasts for future energy price rises. This morning they say:
“Forecasts for July now sit at £1,929 per year for a typical dual‑fuel household. While predictions have dipped slightly in the past few days – £44 since 19 March – the forecast still represents a rise of £288 or 18% percent on the April 2026 level of £1,641.
Should high gas, power and oil prices continue, the effects will go beyond household bills. Inflationary pressure and rising project costs could start to weigh on investment decisions and slow the pace of new infrastructure, although the full extent of these knock-on effects will take time to become clear.”
Starmer is meanwhile hosting another COBRA meeting today. Still no action plan from the government…
Speaking on Times Radio, former Home Secretary David Blunkett spoke about overdiagnosis of mental problems:
“Let’s distinguish those who are really severely mentally ill, diagnosed with things that require prolonged medical and diagnostic treatment. My wife and I talk about this a lot, because she’s a retired GP, about the fact that you can be sad without being ill. You can be momentarily depressed because your boyfriend or girlfriend’s just thrown you and you’re not mentally ill. You can even have mild issues, which can be dealt with with the right kind of support, but it doesn’t make you mentally ill. So we’ve got a real task, I think, to get the psychology, if you like, of this over. But there are things where you definitely need medical intervention, and there are other things where you need good friends, you need good connectivity, and you need a job.”