In what he called a \u201cscandal\u201d, the US vice president claimed Britons \u201ccan\u2019t afford to heat their home<\/a>, can\u2019t afford to transport themselves to work\u201d because the government \u201chas made energy so expensive\u201d.<\/p>\n His comments come against a backdrop of soaring global energy prices,<\/a> triggered by Tehran\u2019s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation to US strikes.<\/p>\n Oil fell 14 per cent as news of a two-week conditional ceasefire announced overnight, but Britons and households around the world are still expected to be hit with rising energy and fuel prices as a result of the blockade.<\/p>\n But speaking at an election rally in Hungary<\/a> on Wednesday, where he is rallying support for prime minister Viktor Orban ahead of an upcoming general election, Mr Vance blamed the UK government for \u201cmaking energy so expensive\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at the cost of electricity<\/a> in the United Kingdom, which is way underinvested in their energy resources, UK families are paying four times, five times, six times what United States citizens are paying for electricity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t it a scandal that middle class Brits, that people who are working hard and playing by the rules, can\u2019t afford to heat their home, can\u2019t afford to transport themselves to work because their leadership has made energy so expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cIt is not magical that the United States has lower energy costs in the United Kingdom. It\u2019s because we\u2019ve made smart decisions and their leadership is not. They could change course, and we hope that they will.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite a ceasefire, the UK\u2019s average price of diesel has surpassed 190p a litre on Wednesday, having surged by more than a third since the start of the Iran<\/a> war.<\/p>\n Industry leaders have also warned the impact of the war will still see inflation go up in the weeks to come, with the Food and Drink Federation having warned that grocery inflation is likely to hit 9-10 per cent later this year and wider UK inflation is tipped to go close to 4 per cent in the second half of 2026.<\/p>\n Mr Vance\u2019s comments come after US president Donald Trump<\/a> repeatedly called for Sir Keir Starmer<\/a> to expand domestic oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.<\/p>\n The US president accused the government earlier this year of making it “impossible” for oil companies to develop North Sea<\/a> reserves.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThe United Kingdom produces just one-third of the total energy from all sources that it did in 1999 \u2013 think of that, one-third \u2013 and they\u2019re sitting on top of the North Sea<\/a>, one of the greatest reserves anywhere in the world, but they don\u2019t use it, and that\u2019s one reason why their energy has reached catastrophically low levels, with equally high prices.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"JD](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hungary-US-Vance-locbsqfu.jpeg\")
JD Vance blamed the UK government for \u2018making energy so expensive\u2019 (AP)<\/p>\n![\"JD](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2226734343.jpeg\")
JD Vance\u2019s comments come after US president Donald Trump repeatedly called for Sir Keir Starmer to expand domestic oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. (Getty)<\/p>\n