Resign over prepay meter scandal, Brown tells Ofgem boss

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( February 08, 2023 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [Gordon Brown demands £300,000-a-year Ofgem boss resigns over prepay energy meter scandal]( [Gordon Brown]( has urged the head of energy regulator [Ofgem]( to quit over the scandal that has seen hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Britons forced to switch to costly prepayment meters. In an extraordinarily outspoken attack, the former prime minister says Jonathan Brearley should “consider his position” – and accuses him of failing “dismally” to protect customers, some of whom have been pushed into the hands of loan sharks. Mr Brown also targets [Rishi Sunak]( and his ministers over the failings, arguing that the poorest are being driven into a “nefarious doom-loop” of debt by “callous” government policies and forced to offer sexual favours or sell drugs to “circling” loan sharks. [Writing for The Independent](, he says: “At this time of reshuffles, the Ofgem regulator should consider his position for failing on his responsibilities to energy customers subject to the forced installation of prepayment meters. “His official responsibility could not be clearer ... So he and, the now restructured Energy Department, should immediately explain why instead of being on the side of the public, they have failed dismally to properly monitor and expose utility companies and their debt agents who, in the middle of the worst cost of living crisis for fifty years, have been breaking into the homes of impoverished customers.”   2 / [20,000 feared dead in earthquake carnage as rescuers race against time to save trapped victims]( Around 23m lives – including those of 1.4m children – blighted by the disaster, says the World Health Organisation 3 /[Emma Pattison: Police refer themselves to watchdog over contact with husband days before deaths]( Police carried out ‘phone review’ of George Pattison’s gun licence days before murder-suicide 4 / [Police reject suggestions Nicola Bulley could have been a victim of crime]( Police think mortgage adviser Ms Bulley tragically fell into the water while walking her dog along the River Wyre 5 / [Secret messages from Mary Queen of Scots’ prison letters finally decoded]( Experts said the codebreakers’ work is the most significant discovery about Mary for 100 years     The Big Question So why did scientists name a new disease-killing molecule after Keanu Reeves? A natural antimicrobial product named after Hollywood actor [Keanu Reeves]( is effective against [fungi]( that cause diseases in both plants and humans, according to a new study. The research, published recently in the [Journal of the American Chemical Society,](describes how the natural product group of “Keanumycins”, produced by the bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas, works against plant pests. Researchers, including those from the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology in Germany, say the group of molecules “kill so efficiently that we named them after Keanu Reeves because he, too, is extremely deadly in his roles”. Scientists have shown that the Keanumycins work “effectively” against the plant pest Botrytis cinerea which triggers gray mold rot and causes immense harvest losses every year. Previous research has shown that this mold rot can cause immense harvest losses in fruit and vegetable cultivation every year, affecting over 200 different types of fruit and vegetables, especially strawberries and unripe grapes. [For the full story click here >](   Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our [welcome offer when you join today](. Watch/ [Moment journalist abandons live broadcast to carry girl to safety after Turkey earthquake](   NUMBER OF THE DAY £800k – The chair of the [BBC]( Richard Sharp conceded he acted as a sort of “introduction agency” over an £800,000 loan to [Boris Johnson]( but declined to say[if he would resign if criticised by an official inquiry.]( [Read more here](   QUOTE OF THE DAY “It’s now a race against time. Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes.” – World Health Organisation’s director general Tedros Adhanom on the rescue operation in Turkey after Monday's devastating earthquake. [Read more here](     Other stories you might like   [UK to dodge recession but one in four families will struggle with bills – Niesr](   [Biden stares down Republican hecklers in feisty State of the Union tackling economy, police reform and China](   [Fawlty Towers to be rebooted by John Cleese and his daughter](       Articles available exclusively to subscribers John Rentoul - [After the reshuffle, Keir Starmer owes Rishi Sunak a thank you](   Other newsletters you might like [The Race Report] The Race Report Fortnightly, 7am (UK time) Written by Nadine White [Sign up]( [Inside Politics] Inside Politics Weekdays, 8am (UK time) Written by Matt Mathers [Sign up](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. 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