Britain's Energy Crisis Goes From Bad To Worse; "People are going to have to choose between keeping warm and eating."

With a cooling climate and increasing energy bills this is a disaster waiting to happen. 

The relentless rise of electric and gas prices in the United Kingdom has provoked a political backlash of epic proportions.

Over the past few weeks, three out of the UK's six largest energy utilities - SSE, British Gas and nPower - have rolled out plans to raise electric and natural gas prices between 8% and 10% by the end of 2013.

The looming rate hikes have stoked the flames of an already fiery political fight over the past, present and future of energy and environmental policy in the UK.

In September, Ed Milibrand, the leader of the left-leaning Labor party, pledged to freeze energy prices for 20 months if the Labor party wins the next election in 2015.

Prime Minister David Cameron dismissed Miliband's as a "con man" for suggesting that a price freeze would address the underlying issue, which appears to be inadequate natural gas supply.

Yesterday, former Prime Minister John Major called for imposing a windfall tax on England's largest energy utilities while speaking at a Parliamentary Press Gallery lunch.

"It ought not to be acceptable to anyone, that many people are going to have to choose between keeping warm and eating," said Major.

In response to mounting pressure to act, Cameron said today that he would seek to eliminate policy-imposed "green charges" on energy bills, which support energy efficiency and clean air programs.