The levy, which Boris Johnson and Michael Gove both vowed to scrap after Brexit during the 2016 referendum campaign, could hand the Treasury an extra ￡1.4billion a year, given bills are likely to increase significantly. Investec analysts predict believe the expected bill increase in April is likely to push inflation up by 1.8 percent.

       Adam Scorer, chief executive of National Energy Action, the fuel poverty charity, said: “At the very least the Treasury should use its own tax windfall created by the energy crisis to take the sting out of these catastrophic price rises for those least able to weather the gathering storm.”

       Meanwhile arch-Brexit critic Guy Verhofstadt has been mocked for claiming the UK is facing food shortages as a result of Brexit.

       The MEP tweeted a screenshot of a graph which he said showed that "more than half of Britons surveyed have personally experienced food shortages in recent weeks", which he described as "another dose of Brexit reality".

       But Twitter users hit out at the remarks, with one commenter, William Black, writing: "Sadly for you Guy, I've not experienced such shortages.

       "But it's well known on Twitter that only Remainers find them."

       FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES...