Good Morning Britain’s Charlotte Hawkins brought the show to a standstill with the day’s urgent news. On Friday morning’s episode (November 22), alongside co-hosts Kate Garraway and Paul Brand, she divulged the latest updates on the ITV programme, which included the announcement that energy costs are set to spike next year.

Ofgem has decreed the price cap for gas and electricity, which will rise. From January, the typical yearly energy expense for homes across England, Scotland, and Wales will leap to £1,738. This spells an uptick of £21 annually or £1.75 monthly in the average cost of energy.

With households already under financial stress, this latest increase is another distressing hit to the public.

Charlotte broke the revelation on air: “Breaking news in the last few minutes. Ofgem has revealed the typical fuel energy bill from January will be £1,738 a year. That is an increase of £21 from the current level,” reports the Express.

According to the charity National Energy Action (NEA), this hike will drive vulnerable households even deeper into debt as they struggle to afford heating.

Charlotte Hawkins on Good Morning Britain ( 
Image:
(Image: ITV))
Ofgems Director General of Markets Tim Jarvis acknowledged the difficulty, commenting: “While today’s change means the cap has remained relatively stable, we understand that the cost of energy remains a challenge for too many households.”

Jarvis did offer a glimmer of hope, pointing out possibilities for consumers to lower their bills: “However, with more tariffs coming into the market, there are ways for customers to bring their bill down, so please shop around and look at all the options.”

He cautioned: “Our reliance on volatile international markets – which are affected by factors such as events in Russia and the Middle East means the cost of energy will continue to fluctuate.

“So it’s more important than ever to stay focused on building a renewable, home-grown energy system to bring costs down and give households stability.”

Jarvis further advised: “In the short term though, anyone struggling with bills should speak to their supplier to make sure they’re getting the help they need and look around to make sure they’re on the best, most affordable deal for them.”

Paul and Kate fronted Friday’s GMB
Despite the fresh rise in Ofgem’s cap, consumers will find some solace knowing it is now £190 lower than what was seen from January to March 2024.

Elsewhere in the programme, fans were thrilled to see the return of Paul, who has not fronted GMB since 2022.

The ITV star took to social media on Thursday to announce to his followers that he’d be hosting Good Morning Britain at the end of the week, sharing a throwback image of him and Kate.

“Hope @kategarraway is feeling especially patient,” he jokingly captioned the picture.

One person replied: “You’re brilliant at whatever you do, really looking forward to. Good luck.”

Someone else wrote: ” Loving Paul Brand in the studio today.”