Gregory Stafford MP asked the Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, in the House of Commons today to explain why energy bills have risen by £300, when Labour had promised to cut bills by the same amount in the last General Election.
Britain has the highest electricity prices in Europe, which Gregory warns is putting pressure on family finances and preventing industrial growth.
He says Ed Miliband is blaming his broken promises on the Iran War, but bills had already risen before the war even started. If it was not for a £7 billion bailout from the taxpayer, then they would be up by £450, or almost 30 per cent since the election.
The Conservatives have been working on a serious plan to turn that around, cheaper power by cutting the costs driving higher bills. Our plan is simple: Get Britain drilling again in the North Sea, reduce bills by axing carbon taxes and build more nuclear.
During the election, the Government promised to cut bills by £300; in fact, they have gone up by £300. With that level of financial acumen, the Secretary of State will fit right in, in his new job at the Treasury, but my constituents and local businesses want their bills cut now, not at some nebulous point in the future. When he gets to the Treasury, will he remove the taxes on our energy industry, to ensure that bills actually come down?
The hon. Gentleman raises an important issue. The way to get bills down is to drive for clean energy, which the Conservatives oppose. Why have bills gone up in the last few months? Because of the Iran war. [Interruption.] They know that they have gone up because of the Iran war-
