Facts

National Grid’s chief executive, John Pettigrew, has since warned British households to prepare for blackouts between 4pm and 7pm on “really, really cold” weekdays in January and February in the event of reduced gas imports from Europe. 

Mr Pettigrew said the company would have to impose rolling power cuts on “those deepest darkest evenings in January and February” if generators failed to secure enough gas from the continent to meet demand, particularly if the country suffers a cold snap.

Verdict

Wrong. To be fair to Mr Kwarteng, he made his unequivocal comments ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the principal event which sparked the fuel crisis. 

We emailed Kwasi Kwarteng’s office offering him the chance to respond. The email was received, but no reply.