Centrica boss admits "trust in energy sector at all-time low"

The boss of Centrica, owner of British Gas, has admitted that “trust in the energy sector as a whole is at an all-time low”.

Sam Laidlaw made the comments during a panel discussion on business trust at the CBI Conference in London.

Laidlaw added that “the solution is through actions, not words”.

He said he believed the “break-down” of bills needed to be clearer and that switching suppliers should be made less “clunky”, to improve transparency and competition.

“We are listening,” Laidlaw said. “We get it absolutely. We know there is a problem and we are listening to our people, and listening most of all to our customers.

“It’s just a start, but I hope to do whatever I can, with my team, to rebuild trust and show that we do have customers’ interests at heart.”

He also said that if green levies on energy bills were removed or reduced he would immediately remove those charges from British Gas customers’ bills.