Fears of freezing homes as thousands of electricity meters to be switched off remotely

A former cabinet minister has revealed his father's power supply was stopped without warning as part of a nationwide switch-off of energy meters. John Berry, father of ex-MP Sir Jake Berry, spent hundreds of pounds on electricians trying to work out why his heating was not working, before finally discovering his meter had been remotely disabled.

Sir Jake, a former minister for the Northern Powerhouse who served as Tory party chairman under former prime minister Liz Truss, said: "One frosty morning, his house was like an icebox. No letter. No phone call. Nothing. He spent hundreds on electricians looking for a fault that didn't exist."

His father's north Wales property had what is known as a Radio Teleswitch (RTS) meter, which uses radio signals to switch between tariffs at specific times of the day. It was installed because the home was fitted with Economy 7 heating, which offers cheaper electricity overnight.

RTS meters are also found in properties without a gas supply, meaning they depend entirely on electricity for heating. But the system has reached the end of its life and is now being replaced, with the radio signals it relies on coming to an end.

The Government was forced to abandon plans for a mass switch-off on June 30 amid fears that many households had not been prepared for the change, despite a publicity drive spearheaded by presenter Lorraine Kelly.

Instead, the remaining 314,935 meters would be replaced in phases, ministers said. Energy suppliers are supposed to inform affected customers at least two weeks before the switch-off and offer an appointment to fit a new "smart" meter at no cost.

But Sir Jake said his father's experience suggested this was not always happening.

And he accused the Government of using the switch-off as an opportunity to force householders to accept smart meters, which monitor energy usage throughout the day and send readings directly to suppliers.

Sir Jake, who announced in July that he had quit the Tories to join Reform, said: "That's blackmail with a boiler."

He said: "Energy giants and Whitehall want every home on a smart meter. They say it's about cutting bills and hitting net zero. But these gadgets also tell suppliers exactly when you turn on the heater, boil the kettle or go to bed. It's a snooper's dream dressed up as progress."

Mr Berry's energy supplier, Octopus, said it had been unable to identify that he had an RTS meter before it was switched off. A new meter was installed in his home earlier this week, the firm said.

Energy minister Martin McCluskey is to hold cross-party talks with MPs to discuss the switch-off and how their constituents will be affected.

Campaigners at the End Fuel Poverty Coalition held talks with energy regulator Ofgem about ensuring all customers are treated fairly during the switch-over. A spokesperson for the coalition said: "This is exactly the sort of case we were concerned about, that there would be people without power.

"One important point is that the switch-off has been paused over the winter, so nobody will be affected in the new future, but it will start again next year."

An Ofgem spokesperson said: "Ofgem has been clear that customers must be protected at every stage of the phased area-by-area shutdown, and we have spelled out to suppliers key requirements that must be met before any area is moved off its RTS signal onto an alternative.

"At the same time, we expect energy companies to go faster, building on the work of the cross-sector taskforce set up by Ofgem that has seen the upgrade rate rise from 1,000 meters per month to more than 1,000 per day.

"While this carefully managed phaseout process should reassure customers, it remains crucial that these meters are replaced urgently, so it's vital to engage with your supplier when offered an appointment."

A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: "This should not have happened and Ofgem and suppliers must ensure consumers are not left without heating and hot water."