Labour to force King’s Speech debate on energy independence and bills, after Conservatives admit that they have no plans to bring down energy bills for families

Labour will tomorrow force a debate in Parliament on bringing down energy bills for British families, after the Energy Secretary confirmed on Monday that, despite the worst energy bills crisis in a generation, there are no measures in the King’s Speech that will take practical action to bring down bills.

In a debate on "Making Britain a clean energy superpower with lower bills", Miliband will set out Labour’s plan for an Energy Independence Act for Britain. 

This plan to make Britain a clean energy superpower will make the UK far less dependent on the prices of fossil fuels set on global markets, and independent analysis has confirmed that Labour’s plans will cut energy imports far quicker than under the Conservatives. 

Labour’s plans to make the UK a clean energy superpower, which includes switching on Great British Energy, will take up to £1,400 off the annual household bill and £53 billion off energy bills for businesses by 2030, by building clean, homegrown power for Britain. 

The debate comes only days after the stunning revelation that, despite British families suffering the worst cost of living crisis in generations, the Conservatives have no plans in their King's Speech to help bring down energy bills for British families. 

The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill is the only piece of energy legislation in the King's Speech. When asked if this policy would bring energy bills down, the Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho responded: "It wouldn't necessarily bring energy bills down, that’s not what we’re saying.” 

Last year, British households were the worst hit by the energy crisis in western Europe due to our high dependency on gas.

Commenting ahead of the debate, Ed Miliband MP, Labour’s Shadow Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, said:

“It is a stunning admission from this government that, during the worst energy bills crisis in generations, their flagship King's Speech energy policy won't even take a penny off energy bills.

“The Conservatives are so out of touch that they have given up trying to bring down energy bills for British families and make Britain energy independent.

“Only Labour can bring down energy bills once and for all and make Britain energy independent. Our Energy Independence Act will mean we make more clean power that we control at home in this country, through GB Energy, our publicly owned energy company, to deliver cheaper, cleaner power for the British people.

Ends.

Notes:

The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill is the only piece of energy legislation in the King's Speech. When asked if this policy would bring energy bills down, the Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho responded: 'It wouldn't necessarily bring energy bills down, that’s not what we’re saying.

Energy Insecurity under the Conservatives:

·        Despite the UK only importing four per cent of our oil and gas from Russia, Putin’s ability to manipulate the price we pay on international gas markets - including gas produced in the North Sea - has plunged us into the worst cost of living crisis in living memory.

·        This is in large part due to thirteen years of failed Conservative energy policy, which has made the UK the most exposed economy in western Europe to the energy price crisis.

·        Over thirteen years, Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives have:

• Offshore wind: The Conservatives have trashed the crown jewels of the British energy system- their failure to secure any offshore wind for Britain in the latest offshore wind auction meant we missed out on 5GW of capacity, meaning we will need to import £3.3bn worth of gas instead.
• Onshore wind: The Conservative ban on onshore wind has raised bills by £180 a year for every family in England. It crashed the market by 97 per cent and has resulted in 7GW of lost capacity - equivalent to two nuclear plants - since being implemented in 2015. Ukraine has completed more onshore wind turbines than England since the invasion began. (Source) (Source) 
• Nuclear: The last Labour Government gave the go-ahead for new sites in 2009, but under the Conservatives none have yet got up and running. (Source) The Government’s dither and delay has denied us clean, reliable power that we control at home. 
• Warm homes: In 2013 the coalition government cut energy efficiency programmes, causing insulation rates to fall by 92 per cent. Since then, 9 million households are paying hundreds more in energy bills as a result and Britain has had to import far more gas as a result. (Source)

Labour’s Energy Independence Act:

Labour’s Energy Independence Act will provide the legislative framework for Labour’s landmark energy and climate policies, the goal of which is to boost Britain’s energy independence, invest in British industry, and cut bills for families. This includes:

·        Setting a national mission to achieve clean power by 2030, with a commitment for a national delivery modelled on the vaccines taskforce; 

·        Immediately bringing forward the necessary planning and regulatory reforms to deliver on clean power by 2030; 

·        Establishing Great British Energy a new home-grown, publicly-owned national champion in clean power generation, with a mandate to produce profit-free power for the British people;

·        Establishing a National Wealth Fund, with a mandate to reindustrialise Britain and invest in homegrown power.

Labour’s mission is to make the UK a clean energy superpower. It is a plan that will make energy cheap and secure, so that the British public never again face spiralling bills; boost jobs and investment in every region and nation of the country; and grow our economy from the bottom up and the middle out. 

Achieving this mission will:

·        CUT ENERGY BILLS for good, taking up to £1,400 off the annual household bill and £53 billion off energy bills for businesses by 2030; 

·        CREATE GOOD JOBS, by rebuilding the strength of our industrial heartlands and coastal communities, creating over a million jobs in ten years; 

·        DELIVER ENERGY SECURITY, by using our abundant natural resources to free ourselves from the manipulations of Vladimir Putin and petrostates; and 

·        Provide CLIMATE LEADERSHIP, to protect our planet for future generations.