Chirac scorns UK power switch

FRANCE'S President Jacques Chirac weighed into the increasingly bitter row over the country's protected energy markets today. He claimed that deregulation in Britain had led to a 16% rise in household electricity bills, proving that privatisation did not work.

But his figures were strongly rebutted by the UK's energy regulator, Ofgem. A spokesman said: 'No, bills have not gone up. Since privatisation, bills have been reduced in real terms by 28%, or a fall in actual terms of £30 from £268 to £238.'

The comments have reignited the long-running controversy over France's closed-door power market policy, top of the agenda at the European Union summit starting in Barcelona tomorrow.

Chirac is in a Presidential election dogfight with Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, and his comments on French radio were seen as electioneering ahead of next month's polls. 'Privatisation is out of the question,' he said. 'Electricite de France is one of the best electricity companies in the world, perhaps the best. It is out of the question to deliver it blows that could weaken it.'

EU heads of government will debate proposals to force all EU members to allow consumers to choose their supplier from 2005.