A READER has written in to us to complain about the unfairness of fuel prices rises in the wake of Shell announcing huge profits.

ON the day that Shell announced that pre-tax profits for the last quarter were at an eye watering £12bn, OFGEM raised the energy price cap that will see most householders in the UK having to find £700 a year more for no better service.

The response from the Chancellor has been abysmal. Instead of taxing those who are ripping us off he has offered us a £200 discount. So we still have to find £500 a year and - oh by the way- we have to pay the £200 back over 5 years. Thank you so much.

But we shouldn’t be surprised. This is the government that has ensured that average UK workers’ wages are still lower than they were in 2008 and that’s before this latest catastrophe hits us.

At the same time billionaires in the UK have seen their wealth rise to a collective total of £597bn - a 310 per cent increase since 2008.

We are yet again facing the reality that this government is happy to have one rule for the public in this nation and another for their pals and chums. So it isn’t just in their attitude to partying during Covid where this is the case.

And let’s not forget that the last Tory government privatised the integrated energy system we had in this country and in doing so gave away our ability to control increases on our bills.

And who benefitted? The pals and chums who snapped up shares at half price and used hedge funds and other shady deals to massively increase their income while the rest of us suffered.

Dave Anderson, Middleton in Teesdale.