As the energy price cap is set to rise for the second time this year, I am hearing increasingly from constituents across the political spectrum who are looking to the future and are genuinely fearful of what they see.
Estimates suggest that over 8.2 million households will be in fuel poverty come October – it is not only those on the margins who are struggling to choose between heating and eating.
We are all now heartbreakingly familiar with stories of people being forced to turn to food banks but unable to afford to cook the food they are given.
For some disabled people, the cost of energy prices makes running important medical equipment impossible; for those on benefits and pensions, their fixed incomes pale in comparison to rocketing utility costs; and for families with children to feed, poorly insulated homes and wages that are vastly outpaced by inflation, this is a cost-of-living crisis that is unsustainable.
We do not need a zombie administration, more focused on its own internal power battles than the crisis facing this country. We urgently need a government that can truly step up to the plate to help people put food on theirs.
The Conservatives are keen to point to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine as one of the main causes of this national economic emergency.
“working people are paying the price”
This is a patronising attempt to gaslight a nation – we cannot ignore the impact of 12 years of Conservative incompetence; selling off our gas reserves, an effective moratorium on onshore wind power, and prioritising the profits of oil and gas giants before the welfare of the British people.
The Conservatives have lost control of the economy, and working people are paying the price yet again.
Labour has a £29bn plan to take control of this economic chaos. We would stop the price cap going up, freezing energy bills for all domestic energy customers, and saving households around £1000 this winter.
This proposal will be funded by taxing oil and gas producers who are making record profits.
BP saw £6.9bn of profits between April and June, and the Conservatives’ windfall tax left open a loophole which hands even more back to these producers.
Our true windfall tax will close this gap, and bring inflation down by 4%, leading to a reduction in government debt interest payments.
This means that money can be spent on bringing bills down, rather than being given to energy companies. The windfall tax will also make interest rate rises less likely and ease the burden on households and businesses.
Of course, action will need to be taken to make sure that bills come down – and stay down – in the long term, too. We would invest in sustainable, home-grown energy sources that mean we are no longer dependent on other states for supplies.
Our Warm Homes Plan will insulate millions of homes to reduce energy usage overall and cut costs in the future.
This crisis is not only economic, but also environmental. For too long we have been dependent on fossil fuels to keep our country running.
We can no longer rely on gas, on other states for supplies, or on this Conservative Government. We need to invest in British renewables to ensure a future where people and our planet are thriving.
This is a monthly guest column provided by
Mohammad Yasin, Labour MP for Bedford & Kempston.
It is published unedited and does not reflect
the views of the Bedford Independent.
