AMY CALLAGHAN MP SAYS URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO FREEZE ENERGY BILLS
East Dunbartonshire MP, Amy Callaghan, has urged the incoming prime minister to take immediate action to freeze energy bills before the announced 80 percent rise comes into effect in October.
The local MP said that people have been left “with no clue” about what the UK government plans to do after a summer when attention was focused on the Tory leadership campaign.
Speaking after the announcement that Liz Truss had been elected as the new Conservative leader, Ms Callaghan said it was “deeply worrying” that Ms Truss had “spent the last eight weeks talking about plans to “attack workers’ rights, slash tax for the wealthiest, and push on with fracking” rather than “lay out clear plans to resolve how people will pay for their bills this winter”.
There have been reports that Ms Truss intends to announce a package of support to tackle the cost of living crisis in the next week, but as late as yesterday the incoming prime minister would not be drawn on the detail of her plans.
On 20th August, Ms Truss ruled out freezing energy costs, describing the support measure as a “sticking plaster that will cost money”.
Ms Callaghan and her parliamentary colleagues have set out detailed plans on their priorities to tackle the cost of living crisis, including a freeze on energy prices, doubling the energy grant to £800, and introducing an energy price cap for businesses to protect them from price rises.
Commenting, Amy Callaghan MP said:
“The energy price rises that kick in from October will be catastrophic for families and businesses in East Dunbartonshire. That is on top of spiralling inflation adding to food prices that were already up 6 percent due to Brexit.
“All of which is exacerbated by the fact we have no idea what the UK government may do to tackle the cost of living crisis, given ministers have sat on their hands throughout the summer while people worry about how they will heat their homes this winter. It’s that uncertainty which is leaving many people fearing the worst.
“My party has set out our priorities to scrap the energy price rise, raise the energy grant to £800 for every household, extend the price cap to small and medium businesses, and introduce new support for businesses to prevent closures due to energy price rises and investment to minimise the impact of the projected recession.
“The incoming prime minister must push on with a real cost of living support package and see the sense in the policies we’ve outlined. This is the only way to protect families and local businesses.
“The Scottish Government has already invested £3 billion in supporting families through this crisis. We now need the UK government to step up. Families in East Dunbartonshire, and across the UK, desperately need clarity and support.”
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