Most people wake up on New Year's Day nursing a hangover, but with the festivities now over and the fridge is full over leftovers - you might find you need to rush out on a quick top up shop, or even just grab some asperin for your aching head.
And that makes a trip to the supermarket unavoidable. While some supermarkets give their staff some well-earned time off, some major chains have opted to stay open today.
Aldi and Lidl are among the stores deciding to remain shut, along with the majority of Waitrose stores. But we have rounded up all the opening and closing times for your favourite food stores that will be open today - but still check your local website before you head over.
The majority of supermarkets offer an online tool on their website, so you can find the exact opening times for your local store.
The cleaners are campaigning for a wage of £15 an hour, sick pay, better holidays and pensions, the union has said.
Rail companies that use contracted-out cleaning providers such as Avanti West Coast, GWR, LNER and TransPennine Express have been affected by the walk out.
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Cleaners on the Docklands Light Railway in London also went on strike in a separate row over pay, rosters and conditions.
"This is the first time cleaners have been taken out on strike across the rail network," said RMT general secretary Mick Lynch.
He added: "It is a national disgrace that many languish on the minimum wage, with no company sick or holiday pay, while doing such an important job of keeping our stations and trains clean."
Planned strikes earlier this month were suspended but there has been no breakthrough in the dispute.
New Year's Eve celebrations look set to be hit by rail strikes and the cost of living crisis as industry experts say bars and restaurant bookings are down.
One in three reservations were cancelled in December, when the sector lost £2.3bn, UK Hospitality said.
There is "huge" concern that strikes will further hit New Year bookings and result in job losses in January, the Night Time Industries Association said.
The government says it is doing all it can to mitigate the impact of strikes.
Paul Kohler, owner of the CellarDoor a cocktail and cabaret bar in London's West End, was hoping the first New Year celebrations since coronavirus restrictions would go with a bang.
But he told BBC Breakfast rail strikes were a big factor in party plans fizzling out.
"New Year bookings are down again, we are hoping it will be good but people are losing faith in the transport system, they are worried about getting home at night," he said.
Train services continue to be hit by cancellations and delays as rail workers stage a series of national strikes in a dispute over pay, job security and working conditions.
Kate Nichols, chief executive of industry organisation UK Hospitality told BBC Breakfast losses in December were worse than expected due to rail worker walk outs.
"We know that when the train strikes were announced... you saw cancellation rates as high as 50-60% in the centre of London and 20-30% around the rest of the country directly attributable to those strike days."
Meanwhile, with the cost of living in the UK near a record high, people are cutting down on going out at the same time that business running costs are going up.
Angela Baker from Bolton, owns Bakers coffee shop, bar and restaurant in Egerton, and Courses by Bakers restaurant at Turton Golf Club.
She said bookings over Christmas were "quieter than usual" and her New Year's Eve tickets were 70% to 80% sold.
"I think they're nervous about what's happening next with the cost of living crisis," she added.
"We've found Covid is still impacting us," said Ms Baker. "We've had people cancelling over the last few days due to Covid and lots of staff off ill."
Angela Baker
She said while the costs of running her businesses were rising she did not want to have to up prices when her customers were struggling themselves.
Mr Kohler said he paid his staff the Real Living Wage for London of £11.95 an hour, which is more than the National Living Wage - known as the minimum wage - of £9.50.
Combined with "costs going up and up", his "profits are shrinking", Mr Kohler said.
"We don't have any profits at this stage - we are just surviving... hospitality is in real danger at the moment," he added.
Many businesses have lost up to 50% of trade during the festive period which they were relying heavily on to see them through early 2023, said Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association.
Mr Kill said the government's delay in announcing any further help on energy bills for businesses had left many facing further uncertainty.
"We will without doubt now see a huge swathe of businesses and jobs lost in January due to the government's inaction," he added.
The ongoing cost of living crisis combined with further strike action means it is "going to undoubtedly be a very tough first quarter of the year for hospitality", said Ms Nichols from UK Hospitality.
Traditionally, bumper profits in December driven by Christmas celebrations make up for lower takings in January and February, she said.
But this year has seen "much more profitable sales in December being lost," she said. "That means those businesses are much more vulnerable and fragile."
Mr Kohler urged ministers to negotiate with rail workers to end strikes and to give more support on energy bills and business rates.
"Hospitality will die unless we get a grip," he said.
Ms Baker said: "I have had a number of friends who have lost or chosen to walk away from the hospitality business post-pandemic, and because of the cost of living.
"I have staff who were landladies who both gave up their pubs and came to work with me," she added.
Ms Baker said hospitality businesses like hers relied on busy Christmas and New Year periods to help them weather the quieter winter months ahead.
"With Courses being at a golf club, the season doesn't start again until March so we are expecting a quiet couple of months," she said.
"But even with Bakers coffee shop, January is a notoriously tough month because everybody starts the new year with good intentions."
The government said it recognised this was a difficult time for hospitality and night time businesses and said "we remain firmly on their side".
A spokesperson highlighted the Energy Bill Relief Scheme and a Business Rates package they said was worth £13.6billion over the next five years.
"We are doing all we can to mitigate the impact of this strike action, but the only way to stop the disruption completely is for union bosses to get back round the table and call off these damaging strikes," the spokesperson said.
Global stocks and bonds lost more than $30tn for 2022 after inflation, interest rate rises and the war in Ukraine triggered the heaviest losses in asset markets since the global financial crisis.
The broad MSCI All-World index of developed and emerging market equities has shed a fifth of its value this year, the biggest decline since 2008, with shares from Wall Street to Shanghai and Frankfurt all notching up significant falls.
In New York, a sell-off on the last trading day of the year added to losses for the blue-chip S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq, which have fallen 19 per cent and 33 per cent this year, respectively, the worst annual performance for both since 2008.
Bond markets have also endured heavy selling: the US 10-year government bond yield, a global benchmark for long-term borrowing costs, has shot up to 3.9 per cent from about 1.5 per cent at the end of last year — the biggest annual increase in Bloomberg records stretching to the 1960s.
“We had this situation for years where equities and bonds were both expensive because they were the same game, driven by low inflation and low interest rates,” said Luca Paolini, chief strategist at Pictet Asset Management. “The lesson of this year is that at some point there’s a day of reckoning, and when it comes it’s brutal.”
The market value of companies traded across all global stock exchanges tumbled by $25tn, according to Bloomberg, while the data provider’s Multiverse index, which tracks global government and corporate debt, is down almost 16 per cent or $9.6tn in market value terms, according to provisional calculations at Thursday’s market close.
Antonio Cavarero, head of investments at Generali Insurance Asset Management, described stocks’ and bonds’ joint downward trajectories as “a game-changer for investors”. This contrasts with 2008, when the slump was concentrated on equities while bond prices rose and dealt a painful blow to many investors who build portfolios in the hope that fixed-income holdings will act as a ballast when equities markets tumble.
The losses came after central banks led by the US Federal Reserve ratcheted up borrowing costs in an attempt to control the worst spell of inflation in decades.
Those interest rate rises brought to a dramatic close the era of cheap money that followed the financial crisis, which squeezed down the yields on safe government debt below zero and pushed up the prices of even the riskiest assets, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February also inflamed a severe bout of inflation, disrupting supply chains. An 8 per cent surge in the US dollar against a basket of half a dozen major peers has placed further pressure on many markets.
Surging borrowing costs also wiped trillions of dollars off the value of the US’s tech titans, which had led the pandemic-era rally beginning in 2020.
Tesla, the electric carmaker, has shed almost two-thirds of its value this year, while chipmaker Nvidia has dropped 50 per cent. US tech heavyweights Apple and Microsoft have tumbled almost 30 per cent, while Google parent Alphabet is off nearly 40 per cent and Facebook owner Meta has plummeted 64 per cent.
The value of the cryptocurrency market has tumbled by $1.7tn since the start of 2022, according to Financial Times data, in a sign of how the speculative fervour that took hold in 2020 has burst this year.
China’s sprawling equities markets also sustained a blow as the economy was disrupted by strict zero-Covid measures and the country is now battling a huge wave of infections as it opens up again. The CSI 300 measure of stocks in Shanghai and Shenzhen fell 22 per cent in local currency terms and 28 per cent in dollar terms.
The MSCI Europe index is down about 16 per cent in dollar terms, but a slimmer 11 per cent in euros.
Commodities have been among the rare gainers in global markets this year: the broad S&P GSCI gauge has rallied 9 per cent, with energy and agriculture prices posting strong gains.
London’s FTSE 100, which is heavily weighted towards energy, mining and pharmaceutical companies, which have fared better in this year’s market shift, is up slightly for the year to date in sterling terms.
The intensity of this year’s market swings highlights the scale of regime change faced by global investors, who had grown accustomed to low interest rates.
Higher interest rates dent the appeal of holding assets such as stocks and riskier debt because investors are able to earn better returns in cash or ultra-safe assets such as US, German or Japanese government bonds. Since higher rates make borrowing more expensive, they also tend to place pressure on the broader economy by tightening financial conditions for companies and businesses.
Global stocks and bonds are set to register losses of more than $30tn for 2022 after inflation, interest rate rises and the war in Ukraine triggered the heaviest losses in asset markets since the global financial crisis.
The broad MSCI All-World index of developed and emerging market equities has shed nearly a fifth of its value this year, the biggest decline since 2008, with shares from Wall Street to Shanghai and Frankfurt all notching up significant falls.
Bond markets have also endured heavy selling: the US 10-year government bond yield, a global benchmark for long-term borrowing costs, has shot up to 3.9 per cent from about 1.5 per cent at the end of last year — the biggest annual increase in Bloomberg records stretching to the 1960s.
“We had this situation for years where equities and bonds were both expensive because they were the same game, driven by low inflation and low interest rates,” said Luca Paolini, chief strategist at Pictet Asset Management. “The lesson of this year is that at some point there’s a day of reckoning, and when it comes it’s brutal.”
The market value of companies traded across all global stock exchanges tumbled by $25tn, according to Bloomberg, while the data provider’s Multiverse index, which tracks global government and corporate debt, is down almost 16 per cent or $9.6tn in market value terms, according to provisional calculations at Thursday’s market close.
Antonio Cavarero, head of investments at Generali Insurance Asset Management, described stocks’ and bonds’ joint downward trajectories as “a game-changer for investors”. This contrasts with 2008, when the slump was concentrated on equities while bond prices rose and dealt a painful blow to many investors who build portfolios in the hope that fixed-income holdings will act as a ballast when equities markets tumble.
The losses came after central banks led by the US Federal Reserve ratcheted up borrowing costs in an attempt to control the worst spell of inflation in decades.
Those interest rate rises brought to a dramatic close the era of cheap money that followed the financial crisis, which squeezed down the yields on safe government debt below zero and pushed up the prices of even the riskiest assets, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February also inflamed a severe bout of inflation, disrupting supply chains. An 8 per cent surge in the US dollar against a basket of half a dozen major peers has placed further pressure on many markets.
Surging borrowing costs also wiped trillions of dollars off the value of the US’s tech titans, which had led the pandemic-era rally beginning in 2020.
Tesla, the electric carmaker, has shed almost two-thirds of its value this year, while chipmaker Nvidia has dropped 50 per cent. US tech heavyweights Apple and Microsoft have tumbled almost 30 per cent, while Google parent Alphabet is off nearly 40 per cent and Facebook owner Meta has plummeted 64 per cent.
Overall, the blue-chip US S&P 500 stock gauge is down 21 per cent this year, with the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite off 34 per cent. Both indices are on track to record their worst annual performance since 2008.
The value of the cryptocurrency market has tumbled by $1.7tn since the start of 2022, according to Financial Times data, in a sign of how the speculative fervour that took hold in 2020 has burst this year.
China’s sprawling equities markets also sustained a blow as the economy was disrupted by strict zero-Covid measures and the country is now battling a huge wave of infections as it opens up again. The CSI 300 measure of stocks in Shanghai and Shenzhen fell 22 per cent in local currency terms and 28 per cent in dollar terms.
The MSCI Europe index is down about 16 per cent in dollar terms, but a slimmer 11 per cent in euros.
Commodities have been among the rare gainers in global markets this year: the broad S&P GSCI gauge has rallied 8 per cent, with energy and agriculture prices posting strong gains.
London’s FTSE 100, which is heavily weighted towards energy, mining and pharmaceutical companies, which have fared better in this year’s market shift, is up slightly for the year to date in sterling terms.
The intensity of this year’s market swings highlights the scale of regime change faced by global investors, who had grown accustomed to low interest rates.
Higher interest rates dent the appeal of holding assets such as stocks and riskier debt because investors are able to earn better returns in cash or ultra-safe assets such as US, German or Japanese government bonds. Since higher rates make borrowing more expensive, they also tend to place pressure on the broader economy by tightening financial conditions for companies and businesses.
ENERGY customers face a surprise price change from January 1.
Major suppliers are hiking bills for some households while others may pay less in the new year.
Will your bills be increasing next year? Find out here what could happenCredit: Alamy
The changes come as part of the government's energy price guarantee, which limits the average bill to £2,500 a year.
But regulator Ofgem still sets the price cap on what suppliers can charge and the next update takes effect on January 1.
That means there may be a slight difference in bill prices from this date.
The change will be different depending on who you're with, how you pay and where you live, as the supplier decides the difference.
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So that means your bill could either rise or fall. Keep in mind for most it will be pennies difference.
But for some people on Eco tariffs, where you pay different rates in the night and day, they could pay nearly £150 more over the course of a year.
The hike will be worst for those on standard tariffs in North Wales and the Merseyside area who pay for their electricity after the fact, and not by direct debit.
Their bills are set to rise by more than £5 per month between January and April.
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But those in the north of England will likely pay around £3.90 less per month from Sunday.
Prepayment meter customers will see an average bill increase of £1.50, while those who pay by direct debit will see an average increase of just two pence.
The changes are made to the amount that energy suppliers charge per unit of gas and electricity they supply.
These changes come into force at the beginning of January and last until the beginning of April.
The Ofgem price cap has always been set at slightly different levels based on where someone lives and how they pay.
The current cap on bills is set at £2,500 and is based on the average dual-fuel bill.
The actual amount you pay will depend on usage as it's the unit rate that's capped.
It's these unit rates that vary by location and are changing slightly at the start of the year.
From April, the cap is set to increase again to £3,000. January's increase is not as drastic, with some even paying less.
But again it depends on the supplier and where you live. Here's what each supplier is doing.
Bulb
You might see a rise if you're with Bulb, depending on where you live as well.
A spokesperson previously told The Sun that it will depend on your meter type and how you pay for energy as well, and that some customers will also see no change.
You'll be contacted either by email or letter.
Overall, the typical prepayment meter customer will pay around £2,579.50 a year.
Direct debit customers will pay around £2,500 a year on average.
Although Bulb doesn't provide Economy 10 tariffs, you might see a rise if you're on Economy 7.
It's confirmed it will be hiking Economy 7 tariffs for some customers, and one even complained of an 8% increase.
They took to Twitter to say their day unit rate is going from 38.593p to 41.687p per kWh and their night rate from 22.838p to 24.669p per kWh.
But the different regional Ofgem unit rates mean where you live is a big factor in any price rises, and you'll be notified if you're about to face any hikes.
So Energy
If you're with So Energy, you may notice your bills rise.
But standard rate standard energy tariff customers in the Eastern, Midlands, South Eastern and Southern regions won't be affected by increases.
But you're not out of the woods if you're in those regions - it still depends on the tariff you're on.
Those on "So Flex" tariffs should check any price change notifications for details about how they'll be impacted.
The So Flex tariff is the provider's standard variable tariff.
But the supplier says everyone on that tariff has already been contacted by email or post.
Otherwise, all So Energy customers on an Economy 7 tariff will see their bills rise in January.
The supplier declined to say how much rates will increase by and how many customers are affected.
E.On
E.On customers on prepayment meters will not be affected by the Ofgem energy price cap rise.
However, the firm was writing to customers to let them know what the new price cap from January 1 "means for them".
This applies to E.On Next customers too.
E.On has not yet clarified what customers this will impact, so you should keep an eye out for emails or letters.
As for those on Economy 7 tariffs, E.On declined to comment on how many other customers could see their bill rise and by how much.
It does not offer Economy 10 tariffs.
A spokesperson said it is in the process of writing to any customers who will be impacted by Ofgem's increased price cap from January.
This comes after one E.On Next customer revealed their Economy 7 tariff was to go up from January.
They said their night rate is going from 13.968p per kWh to 16.411p per kWh - a 17% increase.
And their night rate is going up by around 6% - from 42.224p per kWh to 44.668p per kWh.
EDF
Certain EDF customers will notice an increase in energy next month.
The Sun understands all affected customers should have been notified about changes by now.
Those who pay for their energy by cash cheque will on average see bills go up from around £2,715 to £2,754 a year - a rise of £39.
And those on prepayment meters from £2,560 to £2,579 on average per year - a rise of £19.
Direct debit payees won't see a change to their average yearly bill.
If you're on an Economy 7 or 10 tariff with EDF, you may also experience price hikes.
The provider has said it's written to the impacted customers to say whether they can save by switching to a single rate tariff.
But EDF doesn't offer Economy 10 tariffs to customers on prepayment meters.
Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy said the supplier had decided to absorb the upcoming rises for its customers whilst passing on any reductions.
However, they added that customers on Economy 7 tariffs will see a rise of around 8% from January.
Around 10% of Octopus Energy's customers are on these tariffs, which means around 300,000 customers will be impacted.
It means bills could rise by up to £125 a year, but the exact amount will depend on where you live.
All affected customers have been contacted informing them of the increase.
The provider doesn't offer Economy 10 tariffs.
British Gas
British Gas customers on Economy 7 tariffs will be noticing a price rise. It does not offer Economy 10 tariffs.
The supplier would not reveal how much they will rise by or how many customers are affected.
It did however confirm it would be amending its prices in line with the Ofgem price cap and the government's energy price guarantee.
They added customers' bills will be determined by how much they use.
Utilita
Customers on Economy 7 tariffs will experience increase of roughly 5% on their yearly bills from January 1.
All impacted customers have been told about the change. Utilita declined to say exactly how many are affected.
Utility Warehouse
Thousands of E7 and E10 customers with Utility Warehouse will experience a price increase - but some will also see bills fall.
That's because it will depend on customer's usage and Ofgem's regional rates.
The provider's day rates on average are going up by 6.87p per kWh and its night rates are going down by 3.85p per kWh on average.
The supplier declined to share current night and day rates or how much bills will rise or fall by, saying that rates vary depending on the region and what services customers use.
Shell Energy
Economy 7 customers will see prices rise in January.
The supplier didn't say how much by or how many customers are affected, but that all customers impacted by bill rises are being written to.
Shell said that the "vast majority" of customers will not see any change in monthly payments.
The Sun has contacted all of the above suppliers for a comment on the change, and we'll update this story when we hear back.
More energy bill help
There are also more ways to help with your bills if you find out you'll be facing a hike.
The scheme is where eligible households can get £150 off their electricity bill each winter - but you'll have to wait until the colder months to get the money off.
Households in England and Wales don't need to apply to get the cash and they'll automatically qualify if they are receiving certain benefits.
Britain's biggest energy suppliers have been contacting customers about a minimal price change starting in the new year, the BBC has learnt.
Major energy providers have told the BBC that they are making changes to their prices per unit from 1 January.
But the alterations are likely to only add pennies, not pounds, to bills.
The government says a typical annual bill for a household will still be £2,500, but the maximum rates suppliers can charge per unit are being updated.
Receiving news of a price change has worried many customers, at a time when prices have already increased dramatically and many find bills difficult to understand already.
The changes will affect the 12 energy "regions" across Britain from the start of January and means suppliers are allowed to put their prices up to those new maximum levels for gas and electricity.
How are energy prices set?
The government's Energy Price Guarantee means that the average customer on a standard variable tariff pays 34p per kilowatt hour (kWh) for electricity and 10.3p per kWh for gas. At those rates, a household with typical energy use will pay £2,500 a year.
However, the rates are only an average. There are different rates depending on which of the 12 regions of Britain you live in and how you pay your bills - by direct debit, from regular bills, or on a prepayment meter.
The government has updated the Energy Price Guarantee rates from 1 January, so companies have been allowed to make small price changes for almost every customer.
How much are bills changing by?
Generally, the changes are sums of pennies, so customers are being urged not to panic if they receive an email mentioning a new price. While for most it will only be tinkering round the edges, there are variations across Britain.
The biggest changes are for customers paying in monthly or quarterly bills for their energy. Prices are increasing in all of the 14 areas for both gas and electricity with the biggest changes being for those in North Wales and Merseyside, as well as in London, which are both increasing for electricity by more than 1p per kWh.
The billed rate in Merseyside will be the highest in Britain at 38.26p per kWh, more than 4p above the government's often quoted average rate of 34p.
Direct debit customers in Merseyside and North Wales will see the electricity unit rate they are allowed to be charged increased by 0.4p, while people in the northern area across the North East of England will see their electricity unit price go down by 0.4p.
Electricity rates have also been reduced in eight areas for prepayment customers. However, the biggest increase is again for Liverpool and North Wales which has seen a 0.4p rise.
Which suppliers are making the changes?
Scottish Power, Bulb, EDF, British Gas and Shell have all confirmed to the BBC that they would be passing on the changes allowed by the government in full to customers.
Octopus said it would pass on cuts, but not rises, to customers. The company said it would absorb the increases, except for "Economy 7" customers. EOn is making changes to direct debit and billed customers, but not increasing rates for prepayment customers.
Aren't prices supposed to be fixed until March?
Although the price cap set by the regulator Ofgem increases in January, the government guarantee supersedes that, meaning the government has to pay the difference to suppliers to cover that increase in price.
"Ofgem's price cap changing on 1 January means some customers are receiving notifications from their energy suppliers about price changes up or down, however these changes will mostly be small," a government spokesman said.
He added that Ofgem's price cap was set at different levels for different regions, based on the costs to supply energy, and the Energy Price Guarantee applies a fixed discount to tariffs so these small differences continue to exist.
ExxonMobil is suing the EU in a bid to force it to scrap the bloc’s new windfall tax on oil groups, arguing Brussels exceeded its legal authority by imposing the levy.
The lawsuit is the most significant response yet against the tax from the oil industry, which has been targeted by western governments amid a surge in energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The action threatens the viability of a levy the European Commission said would raise €25bn “to help bring down energy bills”.
Exxon said the lawsuit was filed on Wednesday by its German and Dutch subsidiaries at the European General Court in Luxembourg City. It challenges the Council of the EU’s legal authority to impose the new tax — a power historically reserved for sovereign countries — and its use of emergency powers to secure member states’ approval for the measure.
Casey Norton, a spokesperson for Exxon, said the US supermajor recognised high energy costs were “weighing heavily on families and businesses” but argued the levy was “counterproductive” and would “undermine investor confidence, discourage investment and increase reliance on imported energy”.
Exxon had spent $3bn on European refining projects in the past 10 years, increasing output “at a time when Europe struggles to reduce its energy imports from Russia”, Norton said.
Exxon was now considering “future multibillion-euro investments” in the continent, Norton added. “Whether we invest here primarily depends on how attractive and globally competitive Europe will be.”
The so-called solidarity contribution was one of several measures agreed by the council in September to ease the burden on energy consumers, with the money raised to be recycled to hard-hit consumers or invested in clean energy supply.
Other measures included a cap on revenue from low-cost power generation. Exxon was not opposing these, Norton said.
The European General Court will decide whether to rule on Exxon’s lawsuit. If it does, any future judgment may be appealed at the European Court of Justice. Proceedings could drag on through much of next year.
The commission is the EU’s executive, which has the power to propose legislation. The council is the intergovernmental arm of the EU, in which representatives of its 27 member states debate and agree legislation.
The new tax is due to take effect from December 31 and will apply a levy of at least 33 per cent on any taxable profits in 2022-23 that are 20 per cent or more above average profits between 2018 and 2021.
Exxon, one of the largest petroleum suppliers in Europe, noted in a November filing that its tax liability under the new solidarity levy could amount to $2bn through to the end of 2023. The company generated record global profits of almost $20bn in the third quarter.
Brussels has made regular use during the energy crisis of emergency powers granted in Article 122 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. The article states that “in a spirit of solidarity” member states may approve legislation directly from the commission, circumventing the European parliament, “in particular if severe difficulties arise in the supply of certain products, notably in the area of energy”.
Exxon’s lawsuit argues the windfall tax will not remedy any shortage of energy supply and so the commission and council were wrong to use emergency powers to secure its approval with a majority vote rather than a unanimous one.
The European parliament has protested against the commission’s repeated use of Article 122, saying that it undermines the democratic process even if laws would take much longer to pass with its involvement.
Soaring oil company profits this year have provoked western governments that have come under pressure as surging fuel prices have fanned rampant inflation and threatened to tip economies into recession.
The EU’s levy was followed in November by the UK, which increased its windfall tax on oil and gas producers from 25 per cent to 35 per cent and extended it until 2028. The move prompted outcry from local producers who said the measure would threaten future investment.
Windfall taxes have also been challenged in Italy where a case brought by ERG, a wind power company, was dismissed by a court last month. The Spanish oil and gas group Cepsa has also threatened to sue Madrid over a similar levy on the Iberian peninsula.
Campaigners have echoed this accusation. Agathe Bounfour, oil lead at the NGO Transport & Environment, described Exxon’s lawsuit as “an attempt at intimidation” and said oil and gas companies had engaged in “flagrant profiteering” during the crisis.
The European Commission and European Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Border Force, rail and driving test staff are resuming strike action today - but strikes by waste collection workers in Wirral have been called off after a pay offer was accepted.
Those striking on Wednesday include:
Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) at Great Western Railway will walk out from noon to 11.59am on Thursday
West Midlands Trains will strike for 24 hours from noon until the same time on Thursday
Driving examiners from the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union at 71 test centres will launch a five-day strike
Border Force officers at the same union will begin a four-day strike at six airports across the UK
But more than 200 bin workers in Wirral have ended their industrial action after securing a 15% pay rise backdated to April.
Unite the union members employed by Biffa Waste Management held a week-long strike earlier this month and had planned further industrial action from today.
Union officer John McColl said: "Following renewed negotiations, an improved offer was put forward from Biffa which our members voted to accept.
"The dispute has now ended and strike action has been cancelled".
A Biffa spokeswoman said services would now resume and "any missed collections will be picked up as soon as possible".
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But no such agreement to halt the strikes has been reached on the railways, with West Midlands Trains saying none of its services would be running from Wednesday morning as a result of the TSSA industrial action.
TSSA organising director Nadine Rae said the government could help end strike action if it allows employers to "freely negotiate" with others.
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Asked about reports that rail union and industry bosses are "nearly there" in agreeing a pay deal, Ms Rae told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "things have not changed since before Christmas in terms of a deal".
She added: "It's the government that needs to shift this situation and we really want them to, we know the disruption is frustrating for people."
Network Rail has told passengers to prepare for "significantly disrupted" travel into the new year amid the wave of industrial unrest.
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What is industrial action?
'Strikes could be called off tomorrow'
Driving instructors, who are part of the PCS union, are also taking part in continued industrial action - walking out of test centres across Eastern England and the Midlands.
They are set to return to work on 1 January.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "These strikes could be called off tomorrow if Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt put some money on the table."
Mr Serwotka said his union's members "have been offered a pay rise of just 2% at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is above 10%".
But Downing Street today doubled down on its belief that a "fair agreement" to end strike action should not involve double-digit pay rises for workers.
A number 10 spokesperson told reporters such salary increases would "embed inflation" and said officials want to see unions hold further talks with employers to end strike action.
Border Force officers at Gatwick, Heathrow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow airports and the port of Newhaven have also resumed strikes in the same dispute, and will return to work on New Year's Eve.
A Home Office spokesperson said passengers should expect disruption during the action, but added that staff are "working hard to ensure travellers have a safe and secure journey".
Image:Some passengers at Heathrow said their journey through to the departure lounge had been smooth despite the Border Force strike
Unions trying to find ways to stage more strikes
Unions are looking at ways to stage further strikes by splitting ballots by job titles rather than holding a single vote, according to reports.
The i newspaper reported that the TSSA is poised to let different sections of its membership vote at different times in order to carry out multiple walkouts per week.
The Department for Transport has described the reports as "incredibly disappointing" and urged unions to "step back, reconsider and get back around the table".
Image:Euston station was almost empty on Wednesday morning
Elsewhere, a new poll has suggested that 40% of junior doctors plan to leave the health service as soon as they can find another role.
While a third (33%) of the 4,500 junior doctors in England surveyed said they were planning to work in another country in the next year.
Pay and poor working conditions were the main reasons cited for wanting to leave, according to the British Medical Association (BMA) poll.
The BMA warned that the NHS "would not be able to cope" without two fifths of its junior doctor workforce.
It comes ahead of an industrial action ballot of some 45,000 junior doctors in England, which will open on Monday 9 January.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "Our multi-year pay deal with the British Medical Association is increasing junior doctor's pay by a cumulative 8.2% by 2023."
