energy bills would soar by £500m a year if the uk left the eu, amber rudd, the energy secretary, will claim on thursday.  in remarks dismissed by leave campaigners as “absurd”, the cabinet minister will deliver the latest in a series of warnings from senior government figures about the costs of brexit.  these have included claims that 600,000 jobs in the drinks industry would be safer inside the eu and that lamb and beef farmers could face an extra £330m a year bill to export their goods.  in a speech, rudd will say the uk’s membership of the eu has “helped keep our energy bills down”.  “if we left the european internal market, we’d get a massive electric shock because uk energy costs are likely to rocket by at least half a billion pounds a year – the equivalent of british bills going up by around £1.5m pounds each and every day,” she will say.  she cited a report, commissioned by the national grid, which she said found that leaving the eu, and exiting the internal energy market, could cost consumers £500m or more each year. this is the equivalent of £20 per household – or about a third less when business consumption is taken into account.  the eu also provides a protection against being bullied by vladimir putin over russian gas, rudd will tell employees during a visit to the site of an interconnector pipeline in kent, which brings electricity supplies from the continent.  “relying on energy from abroad is not without risk. we have seen how countries such as putin’s russia use their gas supplies as a tool of foreign policy. threatening to cut off supplies or drastically increase prices,” she will say.    “we can’t let our energy security be hijacked as a political pawn to bring europe to its knees. by working together in the european union each member state can stop this becoming a reality.  “as a bloc of 500 million people, we have the power to force putin’s hand. we can coordinate our response to a crisis. we can use the power of the internal market to source gas from elsewhere. we can drive down the price of imports, as has happened recently in eastern europe.    “to put it plainly – when it comes to russian gas, united we stand, divided we fall.”  matthew elliott, chief executive of the vote leave campaign, said: “amber rudd’s absurd claims simply aren’t backed up by her own research.  “it is quite extraordinary the extent to which the government is willing to do down britain in its desperate attempt to win the referendum. in fact the eu makes our energy bills more expensive and costs us £350m a week.  “if we want cheaper bills, less commission interference and the ability to spend our money on our priorities, then the safe option is to vote leave.”
energy secretary warns of £500m 'electric shock' after brexit