# Households left counting the cost of six months of Iran conflict

By Simon Francis — 2026-08-27

Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, insists ministers should tax the war windfalls to help households as the US-Iran conflict hits the six-month point.

He said: “Six months on from the outbreak of the conflict in February, energy firms have banked at least £6 billion in profits on their UK operations while the bosses of key firms have also seen the value of their personal shareholdings increase by millions

“The vast majority of the public think it is morally wrong for firms to profit from this crisis as energy bills surge again driven by the cost of every unit of gas increasing 27 per cent year on year.

“It’s no wonder that almost three-quarters of the public say our reliance on oil and gas leaves the UK exposed to global price shocks. Sadly, long-term energy security cannot rely on a declining North Sea, where firms have already extracted 90 per cent of commercially viable gas while posting billions in profits.

“Ministers should tax the war windfalls and put the money to work helping households this winter, helping people to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and bringing about long-term reform to drive down the cost of energy.”

Canonical: https://experts.pressassociation.com/expert/84/views/5cba74247d67c410