Energy companies are yelping after having been exposed by Ofgem as pushing up tariffs imposed on consumers far beyond the increases in wholesale costs.

This is not what the big six expect from Ofgem, which has traditionally acted as a fig leaf to cover their rampant profiteering.

But such is the public anger that even Ofgem feels the need to distance itself as far as practical from the thieves’ cartel milking working-class domestic consumers.