Boss of British Gas owner avoids revolt over £4.5m pay packet

The British Gas owner Centrica’s profits tripled last year to an all-time high of £3.3bn. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Shareholders in the British Gas owner Centrica have approved its chief executive’s £4.5m pay packet, which had been labelled a “slap in the face” for struggling bill payers.

The company said 93% of votes at its annual meeting in Leeds on Tuesday were in favour of approving Chris O’Shea’s remuneration, despite controversy over the prepayment meter scandal and ballooning profits made by energy firms during the cost-of-living crisis.