• Davey – price rise “nothing short of catastrophe for millions”
• Sewage: New Govt plan is a cruel joke and will result in 325,000 sewage dumps a year by 2030

Davey – price rise “nothing short of catastrophe for millions”

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey responds to price cap announcement:

This energy price rise is nothing short of a catastrophe for millions of families and pensioners already struggling to make ends meet.

The only option is for energy prices to be frozen before these rises wreak havoc on our communities. Then we need a proper plan to be put in place to bring bills down next year.

As millions suffer the Conservatives do nothing. No policy from the government, no plan from Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak. They have no idea how much pain these energy prices will cause our country. They are simply unfit to govern.

Sewage: New Govt plan is a cruel joke and will result in 325,000 sewage dumps a year by 2030

The Liberal Democrats have branded today’s new Government plan to tackle the sewage crisis “a cruel joke” and oppose the plan to make the public pay for new infrastructure amid soaring water company CEO bonuses.

Tim Farron has slammed the decision not to ban water company CEO bonuses: “Whilst they roll in the cash, we swim in sewage. The whole thing stinks”

Analysis by the Liberal Democrats of the new Conservative Government proposal finds by 2030, there will still be 325,000 sewage dumps a year on Britain’s beaches, as well as in lakes, rivers and chalk streams.

Previous analysis by the party found the average water company executive bonus rose by a fifth (18%) last year.The average water company exec annual bonus now stands at an eye-watering £670,000.

Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

This Government plan is a licence to pump sewage onto our beaches and in our treasured rivers and lakes. By the time these flimsy targets come into effect, our beaches would have been pumped full of disgusting sewage, more otters will be poisoned and our children will still be swimming in dangerous water.

By 2030 there will still be 325,000 sewage dumps a year in our waterways.

This is a cruel joke. The Government is going to hike water bills to pay for cleaning up the mess made by water companies. The same companies who awarded their executives multi-million pound bonuses this year and paid out over £1 billion to their shareholders. Whilst they roll in the cash, we swim in sewage. The whole thing stinks.

On the day when this cost of living crisis hit catastrophe levels, the Government has snuck out this news. They have taken the concept of “put out your trash” to a whole new level.