Poppy Jaman to run Brighton Marathon in a saree for a cause

• Households could save an average of £185 a year on energy bills under the proposed reforms.
• A thinktank says gas still determines electricity prices most of the time despite generating only a quarter of Britain's power.
• The proposals come as rising gas prices linked to the Iran conflict push energy bills higher.

Households across England, Scotland and Wales could save almost £200 a year on their energy bills if the government took on a much bigger role in the electricity market, according to a new report that argues Britain's current pricing system is no longer fit for an energy sector increasingly powered by renewables.

The report, published by thinktank Common Wealth, proposes a major shake-up of the UK's electricity market that would see a publicly accountable body become the sole purchaser of electricity before selling it on to suppliers. Supporters of the idea say it could help break the long-standing link between electricity prices and volatile gas markets, a connection that has left households exposed to repeated energy price shocks.