Centrica to cut around 1,300 British Gas jobs over two years

British Gas owner Centrica announced on 23 July 2026, alongside its half-year results, that it will cut around 1,300 jobs over two years. About 500 of these are customer-facing contact roles at its Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Leicester, Stockport and Leeds sites — roughly 14 percent of its customer operations workforce; the remaining 800 or so are spread across other parts of the business, including outsourced offshore roles. Centrica attributes the overhaul to changed customer behaviour: around 90 percent now use digital channels and inbound contact volumes have fallen 31 percent since 2023, while the group is investing £600 million in an AI-driven overhaul of customer service. Adjusted first-half profit fell 18 percent to £737 million. Unions see AI substitution as the real driver. Confirmed by several outlets (STV News, LSE/Financial News, Bdaily).