(Kingston and Surbiton) (LD):...Liberal Democrats want
to help families and pensioners in rural areas who heat their
homes with heating oil or liquefied petroleum gas and are not
protected by the energy price cap. We would pay for that with a
windfall tax on the super-profits of the oil and gas companies.
Only last week, we learnt that BP and Shell are
now raking in £1 billion in profit between them every single week
from the same soaring gas and petrol prices that are making
families suffer so much. Surely even this Government can see
that, in the present economic crisis, we need to cut taxes for
families by asking these corporate giants to pay a bit more...
(Rochdale) (Lab):...Undoubtedly,
the biggest issue in this country is the cost of living crisis. I
have not personally had such a large number of emails on an
issue. Again, we have a tale of two countries. Companies such as
Centrica, BP and Shell are
making record profits, much of which goes to their already
well-heeled shareholders, and yet my constituents—and those of
Members on both sides of this House—have seen a 50% increase in
the energy price cap and are likely to see an equivalent increase
later this year. Our constituents are frightened about what that
will mean. People really are frightened to put on the heating or
to use the oven. They simply do not know how they will make it
through to the end of the month...
