Pub landlord James Fitzgerald will wait a while longer to switch on the outside Christmas lights at the Thatched House in London, as high energy bills cause financial pain across Britain.

Ahead of the UK government's annual budget on Wednesday set to feature tax rises, the 44-year-old Irishman and millions of Britons are hoping for cost-of-living respite, including from cheaper electricity and gas costs.

"We don't have our lights on outside yet, because we've got to keep our costs down," Fitzgerald told AFP sat near an open fire heating the pub's interior.

The outside temperature in Hammersmith, west London, sits slightly above freezing.

UK energy costs have continued to rise after surging in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago.

"Our gas bill has seriously j

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