The price of heating oil has spiked since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran, as the cost of crude oil has jumped above $100 (£75) a barrel - it was $71 a barrel before the conflict began. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will set out the support plans - reportedly costing £50m - at a news conference on Monday. The issue is particularly acute in Northern Ireland, where about 500,000 homes use it, almost two-thirds of all households. About 3% of households in England and Wales said oil was their only source of central heating, according to a 2021 census, and 5% of households in Scotland. On Friday it ended the day close to $104 a barrel, but that is still much higher than where it was before the conflict began. However, what happens from now until late May on the wholesale energy market will determine what happens to household bills from July.