but if you are on a good fixed rate now, for example, you could end up paying quite a lot more. people within the industry insist that protecting consumers is their priority. there is already a mechanism and i know government are working at pace with industry to make sure that if we think the mechanism isn't enough, there will be something else, so the absolute priority is security of supply for people. although energy firms would normally be very happy to take on extra customers, right now they are becoming reluctant. that's because the prices they can charge are capped by the regulator, 0fgem, while the cost of the energy they buy has risen dramatically, meaning they could lose money. but the government insists it won't prop up failing suppliers, and talk of government—backed loans to help surviving firms with increased costs has also died down. our approach will be informed by the following principles... protecting customers — - especially vulnerable ones — from price spikes, and the solution