The prime minister has now pledged to scrap policies that would force landlords to upgrade energy efficiency in their homes, after pressure from landlords about the costs of doing so, but said the government would “encourage” households to carry out the work.

“This appears to be yet another U-turn that could lead to higher bills just like the prime minister’s decision last week to roll back landlord insulation standards that could leave renters paying an additional £8bn on energy bills,” energy analyst Jess Ralston at non-profit group the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit says. The UK is often described as having some of the oldest and least energy efficient housing in Europe.