There is a peculiar British tradition in which MPs receive their annual pay increase on the same day that millions of households see their bills go up. April 1 is the date when council tax rises, water bills increase, broadband costs climb, and — this year — the consequences of a Middle Eastern war hit family budgets with full force. It is also the date when MPs’ basic salary ticked up by 5% to £98,599.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which sets MPs’ pay, determined the rise in line with average earnings growth. It is not, technically, the government’s decision. But try explaining that to a nurse on £29,000 or a haulier watching diesel climb past £1.82 a litre.
The bills arriving today
April 1 brings a cascade of cost increases for British households. Council tax is rising by an average of 5% across England. Water bills are up by more than 20% for many customers after Ofwat approved the largest single-year increase in the industry’s history. Energy bills, already elevated by the Iran war, are set to jump again when the new Ofgem price cap takes effect in July — with analysts forecasting a 20% increase that would push the average household bill above £2,000 for the first time since the 2022 crisis.
Diesel, the fuel that moves Britain’s goods, sat at 182.7p per litre on Monday — a 27% increase since the Iran war began on February 28. Petrol was at 152.9p. For the average two-car family doing 12,000 miles a year, the war has added roughly £40 a month to fuel costs alone.
Parliament is on holiday
The House of Commons rose for Easter recess on March 26 and will not return until April 13. During the recess, the Iran war has escalated dramatically: the Houthis entered the conflict, Trump threatened to seize Kharg Island, the Pentagon began planning ground operations, and oil surged past $116 a barrel. Parliament has debated none of this.
Starmer held his emergency summit with energy bosses on Monday, but the meeting produced no announcements, no new policies, and no indication that the government has a plan beyond asking corporate Britain to absorb the pain. The Prime Minister said it must be a “joint effort.” That phrase is doing an extraordinary amount of heavy lifting for a man with a 160-seat majority.
The mood of the nation
The latest YouGov tracker shows 68% of Britons believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. Nigel Farage’s favourability is unchanged at 27% — but Reform UK continues to lead Labour in national polling, a position it has held for ten consecutive months. Starmer’s personal approval ratings are at their lowest since he became PM.
None of this is directly Starmer’s fault. He did not start the Iran war, close the Strait of Hormuz, or set the global price of oil. But voters do not grade on fairness. They grade on outcomes. And the outcome on April 1, 2026 is this: MPs are richer, bills are higher, parliament is empty, and the war grinds on.