The UK government warned yesterday that Gazprom, would face "robust scrutiny" if it tried to take over Centrica, the owner of British Gas, after an executive with the Russian gas giant said his group was considering a deal.

Centrica shares jumped up to 25 per cent after a senior official confirmed that Gazprom was interested in a possible takeover of the UK's biggest energy supplier. The stock closed up 11 per cent at 300p, giving Centrica a market value of £11bn.