I have heard from so many people across Llanelli who are very worried about the planned increase to the energy price cap and how they are going to make ends meet this winter.
We are now in a national economic emergency, but the only response from the missing in action Tory UK Government so far, is to put the profits of oil and gas giants before hard-working, local families.
Labour wouldn’t let people pay a penny more on their winter fuel bills.
We have recently put forward a fully-funded £29bn plan that would:
- Freeze energy bills for all domestic energy customers.
- Increase the windfall tax on the oil and gas producers and close costly loopholes.
- Make sure that people on prepayment meters are not penalised compared to those who pay their bills monthly.
These plans would prevent the energy price cap rising through the winter, paid for by extra tax from oil and gas giants who are making eye-watering profits. It would save the typical family £1,000 now, get energy costs under control for the future and also reduce inflation.
The support package we have announced would also reduce energy demand, lower bills in the longer term and create new jobs by insulating millions of homes across the country over the next decade through a Warm Homes Plan. We originally urged the government to implement this plan a year ago. If they’d acted, they could have insulated 2 million of the coldest homes by this winter – saving the typical household an additional £1,000 every year on their energy bills.
Freezing the price cap will bring inflation down by 4%, making future interest rate rises less likely and easing the burden on households and businesses. Our other policies would also secure our energy supply to make sure we’re protected against future shocks and build up Britain’s energy independence.
Labour would take action to stop bills rising now and create sustainable energy for the future – helping people get through the winter while providing the foundations for a stronger, more secure economy. Worryingly, this zombie Tory government and the two candidates for Prime Minister have no coherent plan to address the scale of this crisis.
I know that the coming months are likely to be very difficult for many of my constituents, so please get in touch with my office if you’d like to share your experiences, or if you think there is anything I can do to help
