Which?: Govt action on rocketing energy bills overdue but welcome

Richard Lloyd, executive director at Which?, responds to Chris Huhne's Liberal Democrat conference speech in which he suggested a tougher stance on the top six energy firms:

"With many people facing price hikes of 10% to 20% this winter, government action on rocketing energy bills will be overdue but welcome. For the millions struggling in fuel poverty, help can't come soon enough this winter.

"Giving people information on their bills about cheaper tariffs is a step towards helping people to manage spiralling energy costs. However, when 60% of domestic energy customers never switch, the government and Ofgem must now take action to inject genuine competition into the energy market.

"Serious questions must be asked about whether the major suppliers' customer bases will need to be broken up in order to achieve a competitive market."