Comedian Jimmy Carr
BRITISH GAS SPLASH OUT £25,000 ON JUNKET WITH JIMMY CARR HOURS AFTER IMPOSING 35% PRICE HIKES
Just hours after imposing a 35 per cent price hike on their cash-strapped customers, British Gas spent an exorbitant £25,000 entertaining 1,000 staff.
The personnel attended a conference in Birmingham, in order to train staff how to explain the huge price rises to customers.
But the managers and sales advisers were treated to a champagne reception followed by a four-course meal complete with free wine and beer.
The lavish dinner was complimented by entertainment and a free bar all night.
Jimmy Carr was a surprise guest at Birmingham's International Convention Centre, while Steve Ryder compered.
Carr even reportedly joked about the price rises - saying he was going to put his fee up by 35 per cent in line with British Gas.
A British Gas spokesman defended the extravagance: 'Briefing staff who speak with our energy customers about why the global price of energy has increased is crucial.'
News of the party emerged as ministers were considering a windfall tax on energy giants after the 'big three' made combined profits of £15.6billion.
Soaring bills have allowed Shell, BP and Centrica, which owns British Gas, to make £1,000 a second for the first six months of the year, a figure described as 'grotesque'.
Centrica yesterday unveiled profits of almost £1billion after hitting 16million customers with a 35 per cent rise in tariffs.
On the same day, Shell revealed record profits of just under £8billion, while earlier this week BP triumphantly unveiled a figure of £6.75billion.
Higher bills for petrol, heat and light mean the average household is paying almost £630 a year more than 12 months ago.
The increase by British Gas comes at a time when the wholesale-spot price for gas delivered the next day is beginning to fall.
Tony Woodley, joint leader of the union Unite, said: 'These latest vast profits now put the case for a windfall tax on big oil companies beyond argument.
'The Government should grasp the nettle and do what it did in 1997 by taxing grotesque profits and put the proceeds into helping the millions of people struggling with their fuel bills.'
(From the Daily Mail)
What is happening in the UK?
This is a 'letter to the editor' from a French reader of another London newspaper:
Sir – I have just received the annual bill for our EDF electricity. The cost is 9p a unit, a small rise from 8.73p a year ago.
We live in France where 85 per cent of power is generated by nuclear and five per cent by hydro.
Mike Harrison, Seillans, France
