Even before the US-Israel war on Iran, people in the UK were unusually vulnerable to sudden swings in the cost of energy. Depending how you count it, either 11% or 30% of households are officially energy poor, and already struggled to afford basic needs in times of relative peace.

The government’s fuel poverty strategy for England, published in January 2026, focuses on long-term measures such as home insulation upgrades. But it says little about how to protect vulnerable households quickly in this crisis or in future price shocks.

To reduce the immediate harm, ministers need tools that can be deployed now, not just reforms that may take years to deliver.

Here are three measures that could be deployed right now.

A social tariff

The most effective step would be to discount energy bills for lower-income or vulnerable households – a so-called “social tariff”.

This is often seen as difficult or politically risky. But energy remains one of the few essential services without targeted affordability support. Water and telecoms already enjoy it, and energy should be no different.

In a policy brief we published late last year, we showed that the UK electricity system hits lower-income households hardest and produces “uneven bills”. This means that two households using the same amount of electricity can face differences in bills of up to 15% depending on where they live, and another 22% depending on payment method or contract type.

A social tariff would be fairer. Through a lower unit rate or a bill discount it would protect households with the least room to cut energy use – such as older people, low-income households, those with medical-related electricity needs and renters in inefficient homes.

These policies can also encourage energy efficiency. For instance, in California, the state’s Care programme discounts electricity and gas bills for low-income households up to a set level of use. Beyond that point, rates revert to normal.

This is not unrealistic administratively. Portugal introduced automatic eligibility for its social energy tariff in 2016. This used existing tax and social security data to expand the number of households receiving support by 400%.

The UK already has the data infrastructure to do something similar through its benefits and tax system – energy companies wouldn’t have to find out household incomes themselves; they could just ask the government. The near-term step here is straightforward – ministers could ask the industry regulator Ofgem and energy companies to design an automatic, income-linked tariff for winter 2026, instead of waiting for another crisis response.

Emergency support

The second priority is to reduce immediate exposure to the most volatile and expensive fuels.

Government has traditionally responded to shocks like the Ukraine war with emergency bill support. However, these ill-targeted policies are impractical and do not reduce reliance on volatile fossil fuels. Unlike a social tariff, which is a continuous means-tested support payment, emergency support is often a one-off payment. Traditionally, emergency support is a flat payment to all households, meaning those on lower incomes benefit less in relative terms, though it can also be targeted at vulnerable households.

Transport is one immediate opportunity. Rather than (yet again) freezing fuel duty, the government could redirect this money into cheaper public transport for low-income and car-dependent households.

Germany’s €9 (£8) public transport ticket, introduced in 2022 during the energy and cost-of-living crisis, shows that governments really can act quickly when necessary.

Households that are off the gas grid and reliant on heating oil are especially exposed when global prices rise. Alongside short-term support, like the welcome £50 million announced last week, the government should consider targeted support to switch from oil to heat pumps. The economic case for heat pumps is especially strong for households relying on heating oil. This switch would immediately reduce their exposure to oil prices.

Help households access existing savings

The third priority is to ensure vulnerable households can benefit from money-saving features that are already available in the electricity system.

Smart meters, time-of-use tariffs and shifting electricity use to cheaper times of day can cut bills, but the savings are not automatic. Those who could benefit most are often least likely to be able to access them.

The near-term priority is not new schemes, but making existing ones usable. The government could require suppliers, local authorities and landlords to prioritise smart meters and other low-carbon technologies in social housing and private rentals, where people face the greatest barriers to accessing these savings. It could also fund trusted community organisations to help households choose suitable tariffs, avoid poor deals and access support if they fall into arrears.

This may sound less dramatic than a new subsidy scheme, but clarity matters in a price shock. Households cannot benefit from cheaper tariffs or smart systems they do not know about or cannot use, so financial support often flows most to those already best placed to respond.

The UK cannot prevent global energy price shocks, but it can choose who bears its greatest burden. What is missing is political will. If the government is serious about protecting vulnerable households, it needs a strategic short-term response that matches the scale of urgency.

The arson attack on four ambulances in Golders Green early on March 23 has been called “a horrific antisemitic attack” by the prime minister, Keir Starmer.

These ambulances were run for the benefit of both the local Jewish and non-Jewish communities in this district of north London by a charity called Hatzola – meaning “rescue” in Hebrew. As these ambulances played a key supportive role in enabling access to health provisions for the good of all, it is especially shocking – and has further heightened the anxieties of British Jews.

This is a community still reeling after the attack on the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester in October 2025 on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish religious calendar, which killed two people. And the arson attack is part of a wider international wave of antisemitism, which has included Norway, the US and the Netherlands in the past few weeks. This is not an easy time to be a diaspora Jew.

Those who have carried out the attacks have come from different backgrounds. Many have been influenced by online hate emanating from Isis, and potentially individuals or groups supportive of the hardline Iranian regime. Counter-terror police are investigating whether an Iran-linked group is responsible for the arson. The terror group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand) has claimed responsibility for the attack, as well as others in Europe.

These attacks reflect the complex pattern of hostility towards Jews in the UK, which has been through a mixture of domestic and foreign-inspired hatred. In terms of the latter, there are several examples going back a century which can be highlighted.

The most well-known is the Jew hatred spread by Oswald Mosley and his British Union of Fascists (BUF), formed in 1932, which was at least partly stimulated by German Nazism.

Overall, however, there are deep domestic roots of antisemitism since the readmission of the Jews in the 17th century after a 300-year expulsion. But it has rarely resulted in violent attacks – even if it has made life uncomfortable for the Jewish minority in moments of crisis.

Golders Green’s rich history

These roots can be seen in relation to Golders Green which started to develop as a place of Jewish settlement from the first world war onward. While there were some Jews in this then small suburb in the 19th century, there was not much in the way of a formal community.

Pam Fox, the social historian of Golders Green’s Jewish community, states that “Before 1910 there was just a handful of Jews living in the community, but by 1915 … there were 300 households”. Growth continued after the first world war, and in 1922 the first synagogue, Dunstan Road, was opened. Today, the Jewish population is around 8,000 and represents some 40% of the suburb’s population.

Such crude statistics do not reflect the diversity of the Jewish population both past and present. As early as the 1930s, more orthodox Jews, some of them refugees from Nazism, were establishing different forms of worship from Dunstan Road, which was more in the form of mainstream orthodox religiosity. By the second world war, there were at least 14,000 Jewish refugees in north-west London (including Golders Green), who varied from the totally secular, to reform, to the very orthodox.

After the war, there were more influxes of Jewish refugees, including from Egypt, Hungary and later South Africa, as well as second- and third-generation Jews whose origins were from eastern Europe and then the East End of London. While the very orthodox are currently the growing group in Golders Green, it still has an incredibly heterogeneous Jewish population.

For most Jews, the vibrant cultural, social and religious life of Golders Green has made it a very comfortable place to call home. Even so, there has been antisemitism – organised in the form of the BUF and more commonly in the form of more casual prejudice.

In late 1945, the Hampstead Petition Movement aimed to remove all foreign Jews from the wider area, and it had some local support. In the Nazi era, local newspapers, including the Golders Green Times, objected to the alleged bad behaviour of the Jewish refugees who were falsely accused of being unpatriotic and selfish.

Today, the idea of Golders Green being a Jewish suburb ignores the reality that most of its population is not of that background. It also forgets the many types of Jewishness that are articulated there. Such nuances are lost on those carrying out the attack on the ambulances, with their universal usage.

It says much about the times that such distinctions are not made – many people hold all Jews responsible for the actions of a particular Israeli government. Yet in Golders Green as elsewhere, Jews for both political, cultural and religious reasons hold a range of attitudes towards the problems of the Middle East. Ultimately, such attacks are, as local Jewish resident Sam Adler put it, “cynical and cowardly”. If nothing else, as with Manchester, they have also brought communities together in solidarity and resistance to the ugliness of antisemitism.

Lovell, part of the Morgan Sindall Group, has credited its success in 2025 to regeneration schemes across the region, including projects in Newcastle, Whitburn and Morpeth.

Don Anderson, regional managing director at Lovell, said: “The record results achieved by the Group demonstrate the strength and resilience of the business in what remains a challenging market.

“Continued investment in long-term partnerships has been key to the Group’s performance, exemplified in the North East by our collaboration with Placefirst at Benwell Dene.”

One of the company’s developments is Benwell Dene in the west end of Newcastle, a partnership with Placefirst to deliver 146 energy-efficient homes for long-term rent on a six-acre brownfield site.

In Whitburn, construction began on the Laurel Gate scheme, which will bring 32 new homes to the site of a former pub.

Further north in Morpeth, Lovell launched Edward’s Birch, a 141-home development on land that was once part of the Northgate Hospital estate.

Mr Anderson said: “Our track record of developing brownfield sites in the North East also reflects the wider Group’s commitment to long-term regeneration and placemaking.

“We’re proud of the contribution we are making to local communities and to the success of the business and look forward to building on those achievements in 2026.”

The developments contributed to Morgan Sindall Group’s overall growth, with group revenue up 10 per cent to more than £5 billion and adjusted operating profit rising 39 per cent to £232.6 million.

Lovell alone recorded a five per cent increase in revenue to £903 million, with operating profit up 16 per cent at £42 million.

Last year, the company delivered more than 5,000 new homes, 85 per cent of which were classed as affordable—matching its performance from previous years’ performance.

The Bridgerton actor opened up about the moment during an interview on a BBC programme.

Rege-Jean Page has revealed he experienced “one of the most terrifying moments” of his life whilst filming his latest project. The Bridgerton star shares the screen with singer-songwriter Halle Bailey in romantic comedy You, Me and Tuscany.

In one scene he was required to sing in front of her, and speaking during an interview on The One Show, he confessed that he felt “vulnerable” showcasing his own vocals in front of the Grammy-nominated artist.

The actor appeared on the BBC programme with Halle to discuss the film.When presenter JB Gill asked about the singing scene, he admitted: “It was genuinely one of the most terrifying moments of my life.”

He explained: “There is this moment in the script that calls, ‘OK, you are going to sing in front of one of the world’s greatest singers’… No accompaniment, no support, no one to even put a note out. ‘Just go charm Halle Bailey with nothing but the power of your voice.’

“And so I think I just kind of whited out,” continued the star. “I went to a happy place in the back of my head and saw what came out.”

Rege-Jean added that he was in a “vulnerable place” during the scene but his co-star Halle made it clear she thought he had pulled it off, as she exclaimed: “He killed it! He killed it! It’s great, it’s one of the best parts of the movie, seriously.”

The new film is set in Italy and Halle portrays young cook Anna, who relocates to a Tuscan villa owned by a man who she barely knows, reports the Mirror. Rege-Jean – who portrayed Simon Basset in the first series of Netflix’s period sensation Bridgerton – plays Michael, the cousin of the man who owns the property and Anna’s romantic interest.

Halle informed presenter JB and his co-host Alex Jones that she relished the opportunity to work with the Netflix star. “I mean I love Bridgerton, I love the other projects he was in,” she stated.

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“I’m excited to get to work with him.” Addressing the actor, she continued: “And also get to know you. He’s a really genuine person, it’s been fun.”

A synopsis for the film says: “Halle Bailey stars as Anna, a young woman who has abandoned her dreams of becoming a chef and is now drifting through her twenties with a series of bad choices. When Anna loses her house-sitting job (and housing) in one fell swoop, a chance encounter with Matteo — a handsome Italian who happens to have a villa sitting empty in Tuscany — will inspire her to jet off for Italy, against the advice of her always-honest bestie, Claire.

“But Anna’s plan to crash at Matteo’s villa, without permission, just for one night, falls apart when Matteo’s mother, Gabriella shows up at the house unexpectedly. In a panic, Anna allows Gabriella to believe that she is Matteo’s fiancée. That little lie becomes a big problem, though, when Matteo’s cousin, Michael shows up, and Anna discovers that the heat between them may ignite a fire that will transform her life.”

The One Show airs on BBC One on weekdays from 7pm.

The front door of both businesses were damaged in the incident

Two Cambridge businesses were targeted by attempted break ins in the same night. Cambridgeshire Police were called at around 3.10am on Sunday, March 22 to a barber’s shop in Green End Lane, Chesterton.

The front door was smashed in the incident, but no entry was gained to the premises. In another incident, a nearby Chinese takeaway also had its front door damaged.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “Police were called at around 3.10am yesterday (Sunday 22 March) to a report of an attempted break-in at a Barber’s Shop in Green End Lane, Chesterton.

“The front door was damaged in the incident, but no entry was gained to the premises. A nearby Chinese takeaway also had its front door damaged.”

Anyone with information about these incidents have been asked to contact the police quoting incident 58 of 22 March.

A number of people sustained injuries in the incident

An update has been issued on causalities after a building collapsed in Oldham on Tuesday (March 24). Emergency services raced to the scene when part of the building on King Street crumbled shortly after midday.

Photos from the scene showed the building on the corner of King Street and Jackson Street, believed to be the site of Euro King Mini Mart, which had fallen down along with scaffolding.

Police and fire teams descended on the street with multiple fire engines and cordoned off the area. Three people were hurt but none have life-threatening injuries after the incident, GMP said. A total of five people were said to have ‘self-evacuated’ the building before emergency services arrived.

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Pictures shared with the Manchester Evening News in the days before the collapse appeared to show gaps in part of the brickwork. They can also be seen on Google Maps images online. It is not yet known what caused the incident, but investigations are ongoing.

One man has since claimed he called 999 to alert authorities about the structure appearing dangerous just over three weeks before the collapse, adding: “It was visually obvious the building wasn’t stable. Now, 23 days later, it’s collapsed.”

The Manchester Evening News also understands that authorities are also probing the possibility of a gas leak being the cause, but that investigations are currently ongoing into the incident.

The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has since issued an update on causalities affected by the collapse. Two people required hospital treatment following the incident.

“We can confirm that NWAS has now left the scene, in agreement with our multiagency partners,” a statement read on Tuesday night. “Two of the five casualties have required hospital treatment, and we wish them a full and quick recovery.

“We would like to offer our thanks to our emergency services and local authority colleagues who have supported and continue to support the ongoing operation, as the building remains unsafe.”

Amelia Bath died on March 6 at her home in Yapton Lane, Walberton, West Sussex – the 12-year-old is believed to have been targeted by bullies on Snapchat in the weeks before her tragic death

A “bright” and “loving” girl was found dead at her home, a coroner’s court heard.

Amelia Bath, aged 12, sadly died on March 6 at her home in Yapton Lane, Walberton, West Sussex.

Coroner Joseph Turner described the facts and circumstances of Amelia’s death as “unnatural” during an inquest opening at West Sussex Coroner’s Court in Horsham. A statement from a coroner’s officer said: “She was sadly found deceased at her home address by hanging.”

Amelia’s uncle, Kris Marsh, said her death “was an absolute massive shock to everybody” and “totally out of the blue”. He added: “I don’t think you ever recover from something like this. Marie her mum had gotten up that morning as usual, gone to wake her up for school and then found Amelia in her bedroom. Her world had just been completely turned upside down.”

Her aunt Lisa Marsh has set up an online fundraiser on GoFundMe to support the family with funeral costs. Funds will also be donated in Amelia’s memory to children’s hospice Chestnut Tree House.

Ms Marsh told the Daily Mail that Amelia had spent the evening before her death laughing and joking, eating fish and chips at her grandparents’ house. Friends later told her parents that Amelia had been targeted by bullies on Snapchat in the weeks before her death.

In the fundraiser, Ms Marsh paid tribute to her “beautiful niece”, describing her as a “bright, funny, kind-hearted and loving girl who filled every room with warmth and laughter”.

She said: “She had the most beautiful soul and so much life ahead of her. She was deeply loved, and she loved deeply in return. The silence she has left behind is unbearable, and the hole in our hearts will never truly heal.”

Ms Marsh added: “If you are able to donate or share this page, we would be forever grateful. Every penny, every kind word, and every act of support means more than we can ever express.”

A spokesperson for Sussex Police said officers were “reviewing the wider circumstances” and her death was not being treated as suspicious. They said: “We are working alongside schools and partner agencies to support the girl’s family and others who have been impacted.” The inquest was adjourned until a pre-inquest review on June 17.

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

Everton’s brilliant midfielder James Garner has opened up on the difficult times he went through before his stellar run of form earned a call-up from England manager Thomas Tuchel

James Garner admits he treated this season with a make-or-break attitude that has seen him rewarded with an England call-up. The Everton midfielder, 25, has been one of the Premier League’s most consistent performers over the past seven months and is now widely tipped to make the cut for Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.

But after signing from Manchester United in September, 2022, Garner endured a frustrating time with injury and form before establishing himself as a key figure in Everton’s revival under David Moyes. His emergence as one of the country’s most versatile talents – Garner has proved to be an effective right-back on occasions – earned the 25-year-old a new deal at Everton that keeps him at Hill Dickinson Stadium until the summer of 2030.

But Garner had started Everton’s 2025/26 campaign, believing he had an awful lot to prove. A place at World Cup 2026 certainly seemed a long way off.

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Garner, who was part of the England Euro-winning under-21 squad in 2023, said: “I told myself at the start of the season that this season has to be the season that I can show everyone what I can do. Since I signed for Everton, I’ve had quite unlucky spells with two serious back injuries so that obviously put me out for a long time.

“Then, the first three years we’ve been fighting near the relegation zone. So, it’s been quite tough for me to really showcase what I can do.

“I just thought to myself this season is a fresh season, with a new manager, a new stadium. And with a year left on my contract as well, I knew I had to show everybody what I’m really about and showcase all my talents.

“I’m glad this season is going as well as it is. I set really high standards for myself and I know for those first three years I was not up to the levels that I know I can be at.

“I knew there were levels to go and I think there are still even more. I’m trying every single day to get better and try to reach those levels.”

And Garner believes his vote of approval from Tuchel reflects the positivity around Everton in their first season in their new state-of-the-art riverside home. He went on: “Since David Moyes came in, with his staff, the club has come in leaps and bounds.

“I’m very thankful for all the help he has given me since he came in. The manager has put the belief in the players.

“We all bond well – going forward, there’s no reason why we can’t be in the top half of the table and competing for the European spots. I’m hoping for my first cap and if Everton can finish in a European spot, it would be one special season.”

For his part in that triumph at the under-21 Euros, Lee Carsley was due to give Garner a special golden cap during this senior camp. And Garner has a dream of following that honour with something even more special.

He said: “For me, that was probably one of the best feelings I’ve had in football. So I just want to go one step further now and hopefully win a trophy for the first team as well.”

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A blood-covered Texas man who knocked on doors in a neighborhood begging for help was then shot by a homeowner after forcing his way into a property, according to police.

The Houston Police Department says the man is in critical condition at a hospital in the city following the confrontation, ABC13 Houston reported.

The incident began shortly after midnight on Monday when witnesses reported seeing two men running near Campden Hill. One man was reportedly wearing a mask, while the other was bleeding from the head.

According to investigators, the bloodied man began a frantic circuit of the neighborhood, knocking on the doors of several homes. Video footage obtained by ABC13 captured the man shouting for help and banging on a door before he eventually reached a property in the 4800 block.

Authorities say the man kicked in the front door and forced his way inside the house, where he was subsequently shot by the homeowner.

According to KHOU 11, a CBS affiliate in Houston, Lt. J.P. Horelica stated that investigators believe both suspects are in their early 20s.

The masked man was described as wearing a black hoodie and a jumpsuit. He fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction and remains unidentified.

Police have not yet determined the cause of the man’s initial injuries or whether he had been assaulted before the break-in.

Residents of the quiet suburb expressed shock at the violence.

Gerald Conkrite, a neighbor, told reporters that such events are a rarity for the area.

“We don’t have that over here,” Conkrite told ABC13. “It don’t work like that over here no more.”

KHOU 11 reported that investigators are also asking residents to review home-surveillance footage from the neighborhood to track the suspects’ movements before the shooting.

Peter Roderick, City of York Council’s public health director, said there had been no cases of meningococcal disease, the bacterial infection which causes meningitis and septicaemia, recorded locally.

But he added people should look out for the symptoms of both infections and get vaccinated, particularly if they are of student age.

It comes as the peak of the meningitis outbreak which has killed two people in Kent is now thought to have passed, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

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A total of 29 confirmed and suspected cases linked to the MenB strain outbreak in and around the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus were recorded as of Monday, March 23.

York official Mr Roderick said spotting the symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia and getting the MenACWY vaccine were the two key things he wanted to impress on people.

He added in a Facebook message on Monday people could contact their GP and get the vaccine which is available up to the age of 25.

Many people have had vaccines as children or teenagers but immunity can vary.

The onset of meningitis, the inflammation of the lining of the brain, can be sudden.

Symptoms include a rash that does not fade when pressed with glass, a sudden high fever, severe and worsening headaches, a stiff neck and vomiting and diarrhoea.

People waiting for meningitis vaccines at the University of Kent (Image: PA)

Joint and muscle pain, a dislike of bright lights, very cold hands and feet, seizures, confusion and delirium and extreme tiredness and difficultly waking can also be signs of infection.

People who develop symptoms themselves or know someone who has should contact 999 or go to A&E urgently.

Mr Roderick also said people should ensure they and their children have had the MMR vaccine, following a rise in cases locally and nationally.

MMR vaccines are available for people of all ages.

The council said any child or young person not fully vaccinated may have to stay away from school, college or university for up to 21 days following exposure to measles.

Mr Roderick added people should be on the look out for the symptoms of measles.

It typically starts with cold-like symptoms including a high temperature, a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, coughing and red, sore and watering eyes.

Small white spots can appear on the inside of the mouth a few days later and the illness is also characterised by a red, blotchy rash.

Measles can spread very easily and it can lead to serious problems in some people and is particularly dangerous for children.

Anyone concerned about themselves or their child should contact their GP or the NHS’ 111 line in the first instance.