Anti-poverty campaigners rage as energy giants rake in cash

By DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Anti-poverty campaigners are fuming after the parent of Britain’s biggest home energy supplier said earnings more than tripled last year as consumers struggled to pay soaring utility bills. British Gas owner Centrica followed Shell and BP as the latest U.K.-based energy company to rake in massive profits after oil and natural gas prices surged as the result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That sparked renewed calls from the opposition Labour Party for an expanded tax on those companies’ windfall profits. Centrica says it’s provided 50 million pounds of support for customers and pledged to donate 10% of British Gas profits to help protect vulnerable customers.