UK households are set to feel a further pinch on their income as energy bills are set to increase even further.

The squeeze on budgets is becoming more severe as rising inflation impacts the cost of living.

Due to the global energy crisis, UK energy suppliers have been given permission to increase the energy price cap: it is estimated that typical energy bills will increase by 54 per cent from April.

This has caused a number of MPs, including Yeovil & South Somerset MP Marcus Fysh to call for the National Insurance rise to be scrapped.

The war in Ukraine has highlighted the need to discontinue the reliance on foreign energy. Through the UK’s continued demand for Russian oil, we have inadvertently helped to fund a country whose unpredictable actions have led to a humanitarian crisis.

In 2021 alone, £4bn was spent on Russian oil, according to the office for national statistics, which has made up to 8 per cent of the country’s oil demand.

Following recent sanctions, Boris Johnson has stated his intention to stop the UK’s imports of Russian energy by the end of 2022. According to a government report, in 2019 the UK imported 35 per cent of its fuel supply.

The Ukrainian conflict has starkly highlighted the risk inherent in a dependence on foreign energy imports. The goal to produce a larger proportion of our energy domestically needs to be a key aim for Britain moving forward.

Earlier this week, an independent commission was launched to explore the £30bn green energy Severn Barrage tidal project.

The tidal barrage would stretch from the coast of South Wales to Somerset, and it is claimed that it may provide an estimated 7 per cent of the UK’s electricity.

This would therefore decrease the increasingly problematic dependence of other countries for energy, whilst contributing to the UK’s 2050 net zero emissions target.

The development, which has the backing of Conservative Cabinet member, Michael Gove who has said: "Russia's invasion has served to heighten concerns about energy security and costs. Sustainable forms of energy cannot come soon enough. The launch of an independent commission on tidal energy for the Severn is very welcome news."

This week, French President, Emmanuel Macron has denounced the UK government for their failure to deliver on their “grand statements” in helping during the biggest refugee crisis since WWII.

The criticism comes after refugees en route to UK hit a stumbling block due to the lack of a British visa centre in Calais, with the nearest being in either Paris or Brussels, and unending red tape and delays.

In comparison, the EU is allowing Ukrainian’s refuge for three years without a visa, the UK is more reluctant to open its borders with Boris Johnson claiming that it was “sensible” to have “some basic ability to be able to check who is coming in and who isn’t”.

More recently, the UK government has turned to the people to help house the rising numbers of refugees with a new scheme: Homes for Ukraine.

In the first five hours of activation of the scheme, 43,800 British households pledged to help accommodate refugees for a minimum of six months.

The has received support from Rebecca Pow who retweeted the scheme on her Twitter account.

Anyone interested in signing up to the Homes for Ukraine scheme, to help with the ensuing crisis, can go to https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk.