Households hit with higher bills in £1bn ‘racket’ that sees wind farms paid to turn off power

The boss of Britain’s biggest energy provider says households are facing higher bills because of a “racket” where wind farms are paid to stop producing power.

There are 2,500-plus wind farms across the UK – mainly in Scotland, Yorkshire and the North East – which are key to Labour’s pledge to decarbonise the country’s electricity sector by 2030, with more planned after prime minister Sir Keir Starmer lifted a ban on new onshore sites in England.