LIVE - Updated at 05:51
Nearly half of the Tory voters are in favour of renationalisation of the UK's energy industry amid the cost of living crisis, a new poll has found.
The call for renationalisation comes as millions of households are set to struggle to pay their bills after Ofgem increased the energy price cap on Friday. The UK's energy regulator set the new price cap at £3,549 from 1 October, marking a sharp 80 per cent rise in the cost of energy.
The poll conducted by YouGov for The Times found that 47 per cent of the Conservative voters support returning the energy companies to public ownership, while 28 per cent opposed and another 25 per cent said they were unsure.
Families could face destitution over the winter if they have to pay 24.37p per kilowatt hour for the gas they burn to keep their homes at a liveable temperature.
At least 50 per cent of people said they would have to turn down their thermostat or limit the time during the winter months. Almost half said they would not be able to afford their energy bills without cutting other expenditures, the poll revealed.
Britain's next prime minister must not give up on green energy investments while devising measures to ease the cost-of-living crisis, Boris Johnson will urge.
The outgoing prime minister is expected to ask Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss - the final candidates in the race to succeed Mr Johnson - that the UK must bolster its commitment to net zero while also supporting struggling households, The Telegraph reported.
The remarks will likely act as a warning to the two No 10 hopefuls to stick to Mr Johnson's ambition of building a new nuclear reactor every year and back a five-fold increase in offshore wind power by 2030.
Emily Atkinson has more.
Boris Johnson 'to urge Truss and Sunak to keep up green investment'
The energy price cap is the maximum amount a utility company can charge an average customer in the UK per year for the amount of electricity and gas they use, preventing businesses from simply passing on cost increases to the consumer.
But the cap, set by the regulator Ofgem and first introduced in January 2019, only applies to customers who are on a standard variable tariff, typically a provider's default and most expensive option.
It does not safeguard consumers against global market fluctuations and does not limit an individual's overall bill - if you use more than the "average user", you still pay more.
Joe Sommerlad explains.
What does the energy price cap mean for you?
Nearly half of the Conservative voters support the renationalisation of the UK's energy industry amid the cost of living crisis, a new poll has found.
The poll conducted by YouGov for The Times found that 47 per cent of the Conservative voters support returning the energy companies to public ownership, while 28 per cent opposed and another 25 per cent said they were unsure.
Almost half of the people polled said they would not be able to afford their energy bills without cutting other expenditures.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live blog covering the UK's energy bills and cost-of-living crisis.