£1m pay rise on the way for boss of British Gas as 16 million of their customers face huge bill rises
Cash boost: Chief Executive of Centrica Sam Laidlaw could see his pay soar by £1million this year
The boss of British Gas's parent firm could see his pay soar by £1million this year as millions face huge bill rises.
Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, is expected to get a seven-figure increase in his pay, bonus and shares package.
The rise will be a blow for 16million British Gas customers who face a 35 per cent rise in charges.
He is one of several executives at the firm who could see earnings rocket, including British Gas managing director Philip Bentley.
Mr Laidlaw's total package is likely to top £2.8million, more than £1million ahead of last year.
In theory, he could earn £4.8million if Centrica hits profit and performance targets.
It made a profit of almost £1billion in the first half of this year and is likely to increase this in the second six months.
Mr Laidlaw had a £42,000 rise last year to take his salary to £915,000.
But the bonus he can receive has gone up from £1.1million to £1.65million.
His share reward has also increased from 150 per cent of salary to 200 per cent.
He says Centrica must increase profit to invest in energy sources.
Adam Scorer, of gas and electricity watchdog Energywatch, said: 'Consumers will be incandescent about this pay rise.
'It is not fair when you consider the plight of people struggling to pay bills.'
Labour MP Lindsay Hoyle, who backs a windfall tax, said: 'These wages are unacceptable.'
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