Social media | Meta agreed to significant changes to its Instagram and Facebook<\/a> apps in a settlement that ended a landmark lawsuit on Wednesday.<\/p>\n UK news | A coroner has formally opened an inquest into the death of Jason Arday<\/a>, who resigned as a professor at the University of Cambridge amid allegations of plagiarism.<\/p>\n Environment | Levels of a toxic \u201cforever chemical\u201d rose to 13 times the legal limit<\/a> during Thames Water pilots for a controversial multimillion pound water recycling scheme that will pump millions of litres of treated sewage into the River Thames during drought.<\/p>\n UK politics | Andy Burnham has dropped his support<\/a> for capping political donations, causing anger among activists and Labour MPs who have long campaigned for change to the way parties are funded.<\/p>\n In depth: \u2018No single lever can be pulled to bring down prices without consequence\u2019The crown estate owns the seabed off our shores, which makes green energy investment costly. Photograph: Robin Weaver\/Alamy<\/p>\n A typical energy bill is made up of a standing charge, a fee to keep connected to the grid, and a unit rate for the amount of gas or electricity you consume. It also includes underlying charges to maintain and operate the energy network and government-mandated levies to fund social and environmental schemes.<\/p>\n Britain has one of the most expensive energy markets in the world, driven in no small part by how the market price for our electricity is determined. According to our \u201cmarginal pricing\u201d system, the price paid by suppliers for wholesale electricity at any give moment is dictated by the most expensive source of generation required to meet demand there and then. In the UK, this is regularly electricity from costly gas-fired power plants. Regardless of how much cheap wind or solar power we make, this highest common denominator still sets the price. Last year, 31% of the UK\u2019s electricity was produced from burning natural gas, but it is estimated to have set electricity prices over 90% of the time.<\/p>\n Energy costs in the UK diverged from other European nations in around 2020, Doug Parr, chief scientist and policy director at Greenpeace tells me. That\u2019s when Britain ended its reliance on coal in electricity production, which as recently as 2012 was responsible for 43% of UK supply. \u201cGas became the marginal cost setter, which meant we were much more exposed to the gas prices than other countries.\u201d Subsequent wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have seen global gas prices soar, further hitting British bill-payers.<\/p>\n Energy policy experts warn that, because successive governments have left our energy system to drift for years, no single lever can be pulled to bring down prices without consequence. That said, there are a number of short and longer-term reforms that current ministers should consider.<\/p>\n Short term solutions<\/p>\n Cut the levies \u2013 save \u00a3100 a year<\/p>\n Energy bills don\u2019t just pay for energy \u2013 over the years, additional subsidies have been quietly added, like funding the Warm Homes Discount Scheme, or paying for early renewables innovation. By 2027, these levies will add over \u00a3100 a year to the average household energy bill, according to the climate thinktank E3G. Subsidies also add over 20% to an electricity bill for most businesses. Levy reform could reduce inflation by 0.3%,<\/a> according to modelling by Nesta, though government departments would have to shoulder the funding shortfall.<\/p>\n Deal with energy debt \u2013 save up to \u00a370 a year<\/p>\n Households struggling to pay inflated bills costs us all. By the end of this year, individuals will owe an estimated \u00a37bn to their suppliers. That\u2019s not just a problem for those in arrears: the cost of managing this debt crisis is passed on to every consumer<\/a>, at between \u00a350 and \u00a370 a year.<\/p>\n Immediate solutions include introducing a \u201csocial tariff\u201d to provide cheaper energy for poor households; giving suppliers the income data they need to assess who is in fuel poverty; and tasking Ofgem with reviewing supplier debt collection practices. Once the rising debt has been curbed, a more radical option would be to write off the remaining amount.<\/p>\n Reactive pricing<\/p>\n Suppliers could certainly make flexible tariffs, which incentivise people to use energy when it is cleanest and cheapest, available more rapidly. Octopus has a specific tariff<\/a> for night storage heaters, for example, which it says can benefit the average householder by \u00a3128 per year.<\/p>\n Longer term fixes<\/p>\n Re-design the market \u2013 save up to \u00a3270 a year by 2030<\/p>\n The experts at E3G want to see major reform of market design, moving away from the current system where everybody picks up the highest price. \u201cThe government must put all electricity generators on to fixed price contracts,\u201d says senior policy adviser Susie Elks, who argues this would also reverse the failures of privatisation where companies can make massive profits off electricity users as they have done during the past two energy crises.<\/p>\n This approach is already used by 89 countries across the world and, according to the Common Wealth thinktank, would lower bills by an estimated \u00a3130 to \u00a3270 per household by 2030.<\/p>\n Control the crown <\/p>\n The crown estate makes vast quantities of cash from our energy market, as the legal owner of the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Wind developers paid \u00a3875m<\/a> to the crown in \u201coption fees\u201d last year. Greenpeace has threatened to sue King Charles\u2019s property management company, accusing it of exploiting its monopoly ownership of the ocean floor and ultimately driving up the price of our future energy bills.<\/p>\n At this critical juncture when the government plans to quadruple offshore wind power capacity by the end of the decade, Parr says the crown estate\u2019s auctioning of seabed rights have driven up costs for developers. \u201cLike the energy market, it\u2019s the top-most bid that sets the price, so everybody will be paying for these highly inflationary leases.\u201d<\/p>\n With the crown estate the only company who can lease the seabed, Greenpeace argues \u201cthey should be looking after the public interest and maximising the cost-effective rollout of offshore wind for decarbonisation, not maximising their own profits.\u201d<\/p>\n Decoupling gas and electricity pricing \u2013 save \u00a365 a year<\/p>\n Ecotricity founder and Labour<\/a> donor Dale Vince has long advocated for the permanent decoupling of gas and electricity prices. Ed Miliband was known to be considering this when he was energy secretary, telling Labour MPs it was \u201ccomplicated but possible\u201d.<\/p>\n This is \u201cprobably the biggest and most effective intervention one can make\u201d, argues Parr.<\/p>\n Common Wealth suggests that households could save nearly \u00a3200 a year if the government stepped into the market to act as the sole buyer of electricity. Their research<\/a> found that public procurement of electricity could shave billions of pounds from electricity prices.<\/p>\n Other research commissioned by Greenpeace argues that even removing gas plants from the wholesale electricity market and placing them into a strategic reserve could save the average household \u00a365 a year<\/a>.<\/p>\n This would require the government to bring gas-fired power stations under government control, meaning they would no longer be able to sell power on the open market. Instead, we\u2019d have a state-operated strategic electricity reserve, ready to fire up if required to meet demand.<\/p>\n This would make these power stations a regulated asset base \u2013 a process less expensive than complete nationalisation.<\/p>\n A controversial curveball<\/p>\n There\u2019s also zonal pricing, which the UK government\u2019s energy department rejected proposals for last year. This would have seen different parts of the UK charged different rates for their electricity, based on local supply and demand.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a>Free newsletter | Every weekday<\/p>\n Sign up to First Edition<\/p>\n Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n The debate remains a bruising one, with advocates like Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy, arguing it would make the market more efficient. Critics, including some of Britain\u2019s biggest renewable energy companies, are convinced the disruption would raise costs and jeopardise plans for the UK to have a virtually carbon-free power sector by the end of the decade. A report for the UK Energy Research Centre warned<\/a> that implementing zonal pricing right now risked \u201cputting the cart before the horse.\u201d<\/p>\n Fahnbulleh promised yesterday that the government was exploring \u201cwhat more we can do\u201d to help those struggling with high bills. Policy analysts would argue that solutions are ready and waiting.<\/p>\n Have your say<\/p>\n We\u2019d like to hear your thoughts about the newsletter \u2013 what you enjoy, what we could do better, subjects you\u2019d like to read more of \u2013 so we\u2019ve created a short survey. It should take around five minutes to fill out, and your feedback will help us shape First Edition for the future.<\/p>\n Take the survey here<\/a><\/p>\n What else we\u2019ve been enjoyingAmanda Anisimova is relishing this year\u2019s US Open: \u2018It\u2019s my favourite time of the year by far\u2019. Photograph: Mike Coppola\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Amanda Anisimova\u2019s 2025 Wimbledon final double-bagel is one of the most harrowing sporting shellackings I\u2019ve ever witnessed, and this interview with her<\/a> is an insightful glimpse into the pressure of top-level competition. Sam Coare, newsletters team<\/p>\n For anyone who, like me, has been reaching back through Dolly Parton\u2019s musical catalogue since the sad news of her passing, I appreciated this thoughtfully curated Spotify list<\/a>. Libby<\/p>\n Not content with simply taking our jobs, AI is now coming for our relationships \u2013 though Amy Hawkins and Yu-chen Li\u2019s balanced and empathetic reporting<\/a> on China\u2019s \u201ccompanion bots\u201d surprised me. Sam<\/p>\n Ben Doherty has written a vivid and often confronting account<\/a> of four months of hearings of Australia\u2019s royal commission on antisemitism, called in the wake of the Bondi terrorist attack last December. Libby<\/p>\n I\u2019m oddly fascinated with the is-it-or-isn\u2019t-it mystery of the supposedly Natalie Portman-inspired book, Life of M, which Elle Hunt has dug into<\/a>. I\u2019m already looking forward to its inevitable 27-episode Netflix dramatisation. Sam<\/p>\n SportS\u00e1vio of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring his team\u2019s fourth goal after coming off the bench. Photograph: COLORSPORT\/Ashley Western\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Football | S\u00e1vio came off the bench to score Tottenham\u2019s fourth goal in a 5-1 Carabao Cup win <\/a>against Charlton, with Mikey Moore and Dominic Solanke also on target.<\/p>\n Tennis | Serena and Venus Williams will play doubles<\/a> at the US Open after receiving a wild card on Wednesday into the event they have won twice.<\/p>\n Football | Uefa is poised to drop its threatened boycott of Fifa competitions<\/a> after receiving concrete guarantees that the global governing body will never attempt a repeat of Gianni Infantino\u2019s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.<\/p>\n The front pages Photograph: The Guardian<\/p>\n \u201cPM drops support for donations cap after lobbying from unions\u201d, is the Guardian\u2019s front page today, while the FT has \u201cBurnham battles Budget jitters with pledge to \u2018take pressure off\u2019 business\u201d.<\/p>\n The Times leads with \u201cBritons lost in Nepal floods\u201d, the Mail writes \u201cOver 20 Britons missing in Nepal flash flooding\u201d, and Metro has \u201cTourists vanish in deadly surge\u201d.<\/p>\n The Telegraph says \u201cGermany in talks to fund Trident\u201d, the i Paper splashes \u201cSocial media addiction: tech giant pays $17bn over child harm\u201d, and the Express has \u201cBritain\u2019s OAPs facing \u2018dire winter\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n The Latest Photograph: The Guardian<\/p>\n Dolly Parton: why the world loved the queen of country<\/p>\n Tributes have poured in for Dolly Parton, the pioneering country music singer, songwriter and actor, who has died aged 80. Stars including Taylor Swift, Beyonc\u00e9, Oprah Winfrey and Paul McCartney have paid tribute to one of the world\u2019s greatest music artists, with many praising her lifelong philanthropy and advocacy for literacy and LGBTQ+ rights. Lucy Hough speaks to Guardian deputy features editor <\/a>Jenny Stevens.<\/p>\n Cartoon of the day | Rebecca Hendin Illustration: Rebecca Hendin\/The GuardianThe Upside<\/p>\n A bit of good news to remind you that the world\u2019s not all bad<\/p>\n \u2018My first rejection challenge\u2019 \u2026 making coffee in Warrington. Photograph: Courtesy of Sophie Jones<\/p>\n Sophie Jones used to feel like her fear of rejection was holding her back. So she decided to do something extreme about it: she would actively seek out<\/a> that which she once hid from, and for 30 days intentionally put herself in situations where she expected to be met with a blunt \u201cno\u201d.<\/p>\n Yet whether it was asking her local barista if she could make her own coffee, or approaching strangers and requesting to join in with what they were doing, Sophie\u2019s experiment didn\u2019t go anything like the way she imagined. \u201cTime after time, I was exposed not to rejection, but the heartening kindness of humans who owed me nothing,\u201d she says. \u201cInstead of simply learning to cope with humiliation, I instead discovered rejection to be relatively rare.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782388150_12_1000.jpg\")
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