Households are set to be given free “plug-in batteries” to allow them to store power to help cut their energy bills, The i Paper can reveal.
About the size of a cabin suitcase, a plug-in battery acts like a power bank to store cheap electricity when demand is low and release it later when energy prices are higher.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has worked up a proposal which would see the Government bulk-buy the devices and distribute them to low-income homes, The i Paper has learned.
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world analysis
‘Miliband is an extremist’: How Trump’s White House sees Burnham’s top team
To Andy Burnham, his Cabinet is the elite inner circle who will help him remake Britain.
But in Washington, they are barely known outside a small group of analysts and political nerds. And more concerningly, those who are known are already in the White House’s bad books.
What Trump says about Burnham
The call was interesting, and went very well. I wished Prime Minister Burnham, GOOD LUCK AND GODSPEED.
The Prime Minister held his first call with Trump on Monday, during which he invited the US President to Manchester for next year’s G20 summit.
Trump, who had been expected to be critical of “extremely liberal” Burnham, described the call as a “very good” talk.
How Trump sees Burnham’s Cabinet
- When it comes to the new Cabinet, there are already hurdles to surmount.
- Insiders said that Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband was the only figure with any name recognition in Trump’s inner circle but “for all the wrong reasons”, particularly opposing North Sea oil drilling.
- Others who may find themselves in Trump’s sights are the new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting. He is expected to come under US pressure to raise defence spending.
Analysis
5 min read
ROYAL FAMILY
Prince George celebrates 13th birthday
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 12: Prince George of Wales attends day fourteen of the 2026 Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 12, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Photographer: Karwai Tang
Provider: WireImage
Source: WireImage
Copyright: 2026 Karwai Tang
Prince George is marking a new milestone as he turns 13 today.
As the second in line to the British throne celebrates his special day, The i Paper takes a look at his life in pictures.
His birth, christening and Trooping the Colour
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 23: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge depart The Lindo Wing with their newborn son at St Mary’s Hospital on July 23, 2013 in London, England. The Duchess of Cambridge yesterday gave birth to a boy at 16.24 BST and weighing 8lb 6oz, with Prince William at her side. The baby, as yet unnamed, is third in line to the throne and becomes the Prince of Cambridge. (Photo by John Stillwell/WPA-Pool/Getty Images)
Photographer: WPA Pool
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Caption: Duke of Cambridge holding his son Prince George, at his christening at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace, aged three months. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex???s baby son Archie is expected to be baptised in the royal christening gown. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Friday July 5, 2019. The replica of the intricate lace and satin gown made for Queen Victoria???s eldest daughter has been used for royal infants for the last 11 years. See PA story ROYAL Christening. Photo credit should read: John Stillwell/PA Wire
Photographer: John Stillwell
Provider: PA
Source: PA
Copyright: PA
Caption: File photo dated 13/6/2015 of from left, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, Prince George, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Harry on the balcony at Buckingham Palace following Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards Parade, London. Following the death of The Queen, Charles, who was the Prince of Wales, is now King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and also King of other Commonwealth realms. Camilla is, as the wife of the King, the Queen. The Duke of Cambridge, as heir to the throne, is now the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge. And the Duchess of Cambridge is now the Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. Issue date: Thursday September 8, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story DEATH Queen Titles. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
Photographer: Jonathan Brady
Provider: PA
Source: PA
His first school day, the Queen’s funeral and King Charles’s coronation
Caption: Prince George arrives with the Duke of Cambridge at Thomas’s Battersea in London, as he starts his first day of school. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday September 7, 2017. See PA story ROYAL George. Photo credit should read: Richard Pohle/The Times/PA Wire
Photographer: Richard Pohle/The Times
Provider: PA
Source: PA
Copyright: TIMES NEWSPAPERS
Caption: PA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2022
File photo dated 19/09/22 – Prince George, in the Ceremonial Procession following her State Funeral at Westminster Abbey, London. Issue date: Tuesday December 20, 2022. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Tim Goode/PA Wire
Photographer: Tim Goode
Provider: PA
Source: PA
![CORRECTION / TOPSHOT - Britain's Prince George of Wales (L) points next to another page, as they stand on the Buckingham Palace in London, following the coronations of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, on May 6, 2023. - The set-piece coronation is the first in Britain in 70 years, and only the second in history to be televised. Charles will be the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned at the central London church since King William I in 1066. Outside the UK, he is also king of 14 other Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Camilla, his second wife, will be crowned queen alongside him, and be known as Queen Camilla after the ceremony. (Photo by Leon Neal / POOL / AFP) / "The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Leon Neal has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [points next to another page] instead of [points next to Freddy Parker Bowles ]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require." (Photo by LEON NEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)](https://www.europesays.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/SEI_154849326.jpg)
Caption: CORRECTION / TOPSHOT – Britain’s Prince George of Wales (L) points next to another page, as they stand on the Buckingham Palace in London, following the coronations of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, on May 6, 2023. – The set-piece coronation is the first in Britain in 70 years, and only the second in history to be televised. Charles will be the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned at the central London church since King William I in 1066. Outside the UK, he is also king of 14 other Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Camilla, his second wife, will be crowned queen alongside him, and be known as Queen Camilla after the ceremony. (Photo by Leon Neal / POOL / AFP) / “The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Leon Neal has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [points next to another page] instead of [points next to Freddy Parker Bowles ]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require.” (Photo by LEON NEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: LEON NEAL
Provider: POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Change on the horizon
This year marks another change for George. He is set to enrol at Eton College this autumn. The school educated his father and uncle, Prince Harry, along with other notable alumni.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
NEWS
3 min read
Watch more from The i Paper
OPINION | “Hallelujah! We seem to have reached the interval in the royal pantomime,” writes Jennie Bond. “Time for a cool down and an ice cream. After all the ‘Yes he will’ (stay at the Palace)… ‘Oh no he won’t’; and ‘Yes they will’ (meet the King)… ‘Oh no they won’t’, could it be that the royals are progressing from soap opera, through farce to an interlude of quiet, if hesitant, harmony?” Read more at the link above to read why Bond believes this weekend could be a make-or-break moment for Harry and the King ⬆️ #PrinceHarry #KingCharles #MeghanMarkle #RoyalFamily #PrincessDiana
Weight loss jabs may also help people cut down on booze (Photo: Henri Leduc/ Getty Images/ Moment RF)
HEALTH
Weight-loss drugs could cut alcohol-related hospital admissions
Weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro could reduce alcohol consumption and alcohol-related hospital admissions.
Although the drugs are primarily used to treat diabetes and obesity by mimicking hormones to regulate blood sugar and reduce appetite, they may also be used to help those dependent on alcohol, a study suggests.
What the study found
- Experts analysed alcohol-related hospital admissions for 40,703 people who had started either semaglutide or tirzepatide, which includes Ozempic and Mounjaro, between 2018 and 2024.
- The drugs cut the risk of alcohol-related hospital admission by 26 per cent compared with other diabetes medicines.
- They lowered the risk by more than 60 per cent among type 2 diabetics and obese people with alcohol problems.
NEWS
4 min read
The expert view
Researchers said the findings, published in the journal BMJ Open, “may suggest a potential role” for the medications for treating alcohol use disorder, although further research is needed.
Colin Angus, professor of alcohol policy at Sheffield University Addictions Research Group, said: “This looks like a reasonable study that adds to a growing body of evidence that GLP-1s may reduce alcohol-related harm.”
OPINION
3 min read
Exclusive
3 min read
Young obese women are driving an increase in type 2 diabetes
A new study found a rise in the number of young adults with type 2 diabetes, and they tend to be more overweight at the point of diagnosis than older people.
Weekly injections of GLP-1 receptor agonist for improved glucose regulation in type 2 diabetes – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
A closer look at the study
- The research, published in Lancet Regional Health Europe, showed that incidence of type 2 diabetes is falling in older adults, although they still make up most new cases.
- It is rising rapidly in people younger than 40, particularly women.
- The increase was particularly noticeable in white, Asian and Black women aged 20 to 29, and in white women aged 30 to 39.
LIFESTYLE
3 min read
What do the figures show?
69%
The rise in age-standardised incidence of type 2 diabetes in women aged 20 to 29.
- It also rose 43 per cent for men aged 20 to 29.
- This contrasts to a decline in incidence of 7 per cent in men and 4 per cent in women aged 60 to 79.
Body weight is impacting the rise
The study showed the increase in body mass index (BMI) over time among younger people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes was around double that seen in older adults.
Diabetologist doctor waiting for result from glucose testing in diabetes clinic. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 2330 WEDNESDAY JANUARY 7
Picture posed by a model. File photo dated 03/03/14 of someone using a set of weighing scales. People on fat loss jabs need ongoing support, researchers have said, after a major study found they put all the weight back on much faster than traditional dieters. Researchers from the University of Oxford discovered that people on drugs including semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) lose weight during treatment but, on average, regain it within 20 months of stopping the jabs. Issue date: Wednesday January 7, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Chris Radburn/PA Wire
Photographer: Chris Radburn
Provider: Chris Radburn/PA Wire
Source: PA Wire
This suggests that successive generations of younger adults are developing type 2 diabetes at increasingly severe levels of obesity.
Risks to lives
The rise in type 2 diabetes among younger adults is deeply concerning. Any diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is serious, but it can be more aggressive in younger people, increasing the risk of devastating complications and cutting lives short.
helen kirrane, head of policy, campaigns and mobilisation at diabetes uk
Caption: Doctor measuring teen patient’s blood pressure. Examining hypertension in diabetic teenage girl. Girl visiting paediatrician for annual preventive examination, check-up.
Photographer: Halfpoint Images
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
environment
Puffling sighting gives hope to Dorset’s colony
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 WEDNESDAY 22 JULY
Undated handout photo issued by the National Trust of a rare glimpse of a young puffin emerging from its nest at Dancing Ledge. For the first time in 30 years, volunteers monitoring the puffin colony in Purbeck have a confirmed sighting of a puffin fledgling – known as a puffling – on the cliffs near the National Trust’s Dancing Ledge. The puffling was peeping out from a deep crevice on the sheer cliff, where the last breeding colony of puffins on mainland England’s south coast is clinging to survival.
The sighting followed more than 15 weeks of monitoring by the volunteers as they watched the adult puffins courting, mating, carrying nesting material and, since late-May, repeatedly delivering fish to the nests hidden deep within the crevice and has given conservationists fresh hope for the future of Dorset’s dwindling puffin population. Issue date: Wednesday July 22, 2026. PA Photo. See PA story ENVIRONMENT Puffling. Photo credit should read: National Trust/Martin Shaw/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Photographer: National Trust/Martin Shaw
Provider: National Trust/Martin Shaw/PA Wire
Source: PA
A rare view of a young puffin coming out of its nest has filled conservationists with new hope about the future of Dorset’s declining puffin population.
A long wait
For the first time in 30 years, volunteers monitoring the puffin colony in Perbeck have a confirmed sighting of a puffling – a puffin fledgling – on the cliffs near to the National Trust’s Dancing Ledge.
- The puffling was looking out from a crevice in the cliff.
- This is where the last breeding colony of puffins on mainland England’s south coast is holding onto survival.
- The sighting comes after over 15 weeks of monitoring by the volunteers, who watched the adult puffins courting, mating, carrying nesting material, and delivering fish to the nests.
Fresh hope
With only three breeding pairs remaining, every chick matters. One puffling alone won’t save this colony, but one is a whole lot better news than none.
Dr Richard Caldow, an expert in seabird ecology, led the monitoring project and was supported by volunteers from the Purbeck Natural History Forum. The puffling is estimated to be between 38 and 40 days old.
Puffins are my favourite birds (Photo:: Gunnar Orn Arnason/Getty Images/Moment RF)
What’s next for the puffling?
The puffling is expected to leave the ledge and its parents during the night and spend the several years alone at sea.
If it survives, it may return to Purbeck at around two years old, although puffins do not usually breed until around age four. In April, six adult puffins were recorded at the colony.
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 WEDNESDAY 22 JULY
Undated handout photo issued by the National Trust of a rare glimpse of a young puffin emerging from its nest at Dancing Ledge. For the first time in 30 years, volunteers monitoring the puffin colony in Purbeck have a confirmed sighting of a puffin fledgling – known as a puffling – on the cliffs near the National Trust’s Dancing Ledge. The puffling was peeping out from a deep crevice on the sheer cliff, where the last breeding colony of puffins on mainland England’s south coast is clinging to survival.
The sighting followed more than 15 weeks of monitoring by the volunteers as they watched the adult puffins courting, mating, carrying nesting material and, since late-May, repeatedly delivering fish to the nests hidden deep within the crevice and has given conservationists fresh hope for the future of Dorset’s dwindling puffin population. Issue date: Wednesday July 22, 2026. PA Photo. See PA story ENVIRONMENT Puffling. Photo credit should read: National Trust/Martin Shaw/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Photographer: National Trust/Martin Shaw
Provider: National Trust/Martin Shaw/PA Wire
Source: PA
LIFESTYLE
3 min read
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 21: Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey arrives at 10 Downing Street for Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first cabinet meeting, on July 21, 2026 in London, England. Andy Burnham appointed key members of his cabinet yesterday evening after becoming Prime Minister earlier in the day. He has pledged to decentralise power via “No 10 North, provide immediate cost of living “Breathing Space” and to end rough sleeping across England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Photographer: Dan Kitwood
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
Politics
How Healey as the new Chancellor may impact your tax and benefits
Andy Burnham has appointed John Healey as Chancellor – a surprise decision after Shabana Mahmood and Ed Miliband were both widely tipped for the job.
Here’s our analysis of what this could mean for different policy areas.
Tax
- Healey has little personal track record on tax policy, so the clearest guide to what comes next comes from Burnham himself.
- The first move has been a tax cut, with VAT removed from domestic electricity bills from October.
- After this it is less clear, although Burnham has indicated he wants to look at raising the frozen £12,570 personal allowance.
- Burnham has also not ruled out a wealth tax.
SAVING AND BANKING
3 min read
The economy
Healey’s early message has been one of continuity rather than change.
Responding to ONS figures on Tuesday showing borrowing fell to £16bn in June, he said: “Fiscal control is the first duty of any Chancellor. It is mine.”
The Bank of England held rates at the last meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) (Photo: Sean Gladwell/Moment RF/Getty)
Caption: Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey, center, attends the first cabinet meeting held by Prime Minister Andy Burnham at 10 Downing Street, London, Tuesday July 21, 2026. (Eddie Mulholland/Pool Photo via AP)
Photographer: Eddie Mulholland
Provider: Eddie Mulholland/Pool The Telegr
Source: Pool The Telegraph
Copyright: ? Eddie Mulholland
Whether that holds is the real question hanging over his tenure, and markets have so far reacted with caution.
Benefits
- Plans to cut billions from sickness and disability benefits caused a near-rebellion from backbench MPs last year.
- Pat McFadden, Work and Pensions Secretary, previously said he is “not ruling anything out”, while Burnham has said only that he would not make immediate cuts.
- There are signs Healey may be sympathetic to a slower approach.
- Responding to George Osborne’s budget a decade ago, he had called a £12bn round of cuts a political “choice” not a necessity.
Defence
After resigning as defence secretary last month and rejecting an offer of £13.5bn to fund the Defence Investment Plan, Healey now has power over the funding gap and faces the challenge of how to pay for it.
Burnham and Healey have signalled they are on the same page, and Healey said the pair would “meet our commitments on defence to our international allies”.
John Healey speaks with members of the allied forces as they participate in exercise Spring Storm in May near Voru, southern Estonia (Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Analysis
4 min read
Plug-in batteries are portable energy storage units that can be plugged into a socket without any household rewiring.
They work by drawing electricity through the socket – typically during the off-peak period of a time-of-use tariff – and then discharging back through the same socket to offset demand at times when electricity is more expensive, cutting a household’s bills.
The batteries come in a range of sizes and costs, retailing from about £500. According to Regen, a not-for-profit company which promotes clean energy, some units can pay back within two-and-a-half-years. They are significantly cheaper than conventional batteries, where the labour costs alone can run to £1,000 or more.
Multiple sources told The i Paper that subsidised plug-in batteries were among a list of proposals worked up earlier this summer during an exercise by DESNZ and the Nesta innovation charity aimed at accelerating the delivery of then energy secretary Ed Miliband’s Warm Homes plan.
The exercise – dubbed a “sprint” by DESNZ officials – considered a range of options for swiftly cutting energy bills. A sector source said that the process was launched as a response to the spike in energy prices from the US-Israeli war with Iran and a desire within the Government to “piggyback on the massive increase in demand there’s been for things like solar panels and batteries”.
The source said that Miliband “saw a big opportunity” in plug-in batteries. Another industry source said there was “huge appetite” in government for the technology.
A government source confirmed that DESNZ had drawn up the proposal, saying that plug-in batteries were “attractive” because “they’re so easy to deploy”.
It is not clear yet what families would be eligible for the devices, though there has previously been an expectation under the Warm Homes plan that grants would be offered to households with a total income of around £35,000 or less.
Households in England with an income of less than £36,000, living in eligible postcodes, or receiving means-tested benefits are already eligible for home upgrades to help cut energy bills, such as heat pumps and solar panels. There are typically further conditions such as owning your home, renting from a private landlord, or having a specific energy rating.
The i Paper understands that DESNZ has held conversations with the Crown Commercial Agency – the government’s procurement arm – about the bulk-buying idea. GB Energy – the publicly owned energy investment company – has also been discussed as a potential vehicle for rolling out the units.
A decision about whether to press ahead with the idea will now have to be taken by the new Energy Secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh.
However, the sector source said that it aligned with Andy Burnham’s cost of living focus, which has already seen the Government announce the removal of VAT on household electricity bills and the reinstatement of the £2 cap on bus fares.
“The politics does fit with the Burnham agenda,” they said. “It also fits with the devolution stuff quite nicely because fundamentally it would be local authorities on the hook for delivering it.”
However, as with plug-in solar panels, plug-in batteries are not currently permitted in Great Britain because existing wiring regulations were not designed for appliances to discharge power back into household circuits.
The government source confirmed that as with plug-in solar, DESNZ would have to conduct a safety study and then update the regulations, meaning that it will be some time before the devices could be rolled out.
The Government’s immediate focus is approving plug-in solar, which as The i Paper reported earlier this month is expected to happen in August.
DESNZ told The i Paper that batteries raised further technical and regulatory questions but confirmed that it is building the evidence base around the products.
A DESNZ spokesperson said: “We’ve cut VAT on electricity to give families breathing space. The Energy Secretary’s focus is working to bring bills down for good.
“And we are rolling out plug-in solar, which will be quickest to reach the market – helping to bring bills down for good.”