Smaller energy suppliers have warned it is “too late” to come up with new schemes to help British households cope with an expected 82 per cent surge in energy costs from October, and instead urged the government to focus on expanding existing support programmes.

The two candidates in the race to become the UK’s next prime minister, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, have come under increasing pressure to produce detailed plans to reduce bills, which are predicted to soar by more than ￡1,600 to ￡3,582 a year on October 1 for a typical household.

Consumer charity Citizens Advice warned on Wednesday that one in four people would not be able to pay for their energy from October. Ofgem, the regulator, will announced the new price cap, which dictates bills for the vast majority of households, on August 26.