- Davey: Make energy bosses pay for freezing of bills, not our children
- Truss Speech: Only way to end crisis is to get the Conservatives out of power
- Chope appointment to Partygate inquiry – government backs down
Davey: Make energy bosses pay for freezing of bills, not our children
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has warned that Liz Truss’ plan to make taxpayers pay for the freezing of energy bills would “make our children pick up the tab”, while letting the oil and gas companies raking in record profits off the hook.
It comes as the Liberal Democrat Leader introduces legislation in Parliament today to bring in a tougher windfall tax on companies like BP and Shell that are raking in huge profits, to fund the freezing of energy bills.
The proposed Liberal Democrat Bill would prohibit Ofgem from increasing the energy price cap above its current level in October, funded by extending and backdating the windfall tax. It also calls for small businesses to be supported with their bills, paid for by reversing Conservative tax breaks for banks.
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:
Liz Truss spent weeks during this summer leadership contest leaving families and pensioners worried and in limbo by refusing to set out her plans to tackle soaring energy bills. Now she seems set to make our children pick up the tab for this mess, while letting oil and gas firms making record profits off the hook.
It shows Liz Truss and the Conservatives are completely out of touch with the British people.
The Liberal Democrats have today tabled legislation to protect people and businesses from sky-high heating bills this winter. This would be paid for by a tougher windfall tax on oil and gas companies and the scrapping of Conservative tax cuts for big banks.
That would be a much fairer and more responsible way to tackle rising energy bills than even more borrowing for taxpayers to pay back in the future.
Truss Speech: Only way to end crisis is to get the Conservatives out of power
Responding to Prime Minister Liz Truss’s speech, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:
I’ve been shocked that across the whole summer Liz Truss and the Conservatives have utterly failed to come up with any ideas to help our country through the cost of living crisis. Their failure has pushed businesses to the brink and caused extreme anxiety for families and pensioners.
It is time for Liz Truss to do the right thing and cancel the winter energy price rise, then call a general election.
The only way to end the cost of living crisis is to get the Conservatives out of power once and for all.
Chope appointment to Partygate inquiry – government backs down
The Liberal Democrats have called on Liz Truss to confirm she won’t nominate Christopher Chope to the Privileges Committee investigating Boris Johnson.
It comes after the government today pulled a motion in Parliament putting Chope forward.
Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, who brought in the Private Members’ Bill to ban upskirting initially blocked by Chope, said:
Liz Truss must now confirm that she won’t appoint Christopher Chope to the privileges committee. His attempt to derail my Bill to criminalise taking pictures up women’s skirts tells you everything you need to know about his judgement. He should be nowhere near the privileges committee.
The Conservatives cannot continue to cook the books and fix things in their favour. Truss needs to appoint someone impartial and not a Boris Johnson loyalist.
Johnson’s last act in office was an attempt to get himself off the hook for his Partygate lies. It would be unforgivable if one of Liz Truss’ first acts was to follow in his footsteps.
4 Comments
My little granddaughter had a rare condition where she was not producing enough vitamin D. One of her tiny legs was starting to turn inwards. She had additional vitamins and she must eat 1000 calories a day. Getting her to eat was difficult.
How can children exist on a Food Bank diet?
When I was at school we had small bottles of milk and school meals. Often plain but balanced.
I believe in healthy eating, my childhood consisted of healthy food often grown by my family.
I also had access to a decent NHS, I was born in 1948.
I know Nick backed free school meals for younger children a step in the right direction, on a cold winter’s day.
Isn’t a major point being missed, net zero needs people to use less energy and higher prices will achieve that. Help should have been concentrated on decreasing the bills of low users and increasing the bills of high users, so a two tier pricing system for energy and no standing charges. The lower tier would be something like 20 kwh for elect and 10p for gas (capped forever?), whilst the higher tier would be (under the next planned cap) 70p for elec and 25p for gas. The cut-off point for the tiers, half average usage, a fifty percent reduction in energy usage achievable for most so they would end up paying less than now.
Not something the Tories will do as there is no profit in it for energy retailers but surely a concept the LibDems could at least ponder.
Expanding free school meals would be a good idea IMO. I have some concerns about how to then manage the sudden absence of this service during the holidays, but better that than risk having so many children lacking a basic level of nutrition.
It’s a policy that’s easier said than done, and it’s not just a case of finding budget. So many schools no longer have the capacity to provide nutritious meals at all, or at least not at scale. Start with provision for the youngest children, then expand from there. I am sometimes a bit wary of universality if there’s a risk that budget is diverted from those who really need it towards those who really can afford it. However, there are times when children from seemingly well off families don’t get the care they need, and for parents of younger children especially, one less thing to worry about is valuable.
In the meantime, I’d like to see provision to help schools offer a bit of leeway or discretion to pay off arrears or boost the balance on cards for children from families who don’t qualify for free meals, but could do with a bit of help.
In the village where I live there is a village hall, churches all with good kitchens.
I know the kitchens were removed from schools in many cases but this could be a thought. Large cheese and potato pies and shepherds pies, quiches and jacket potato, good staple foods.
For so long the depressive news from the Tory Party has caused mental health issues. It could well be the time to make December 25th much more of a time for happiness.
As you know I do not celebrate this time of year, but others do.