As Tory hypocrite Minister wastes tax payers money jetting round the world
Alok Sharma, who is responsible for November’s climate conference, travelled to 30 countries in seven months but did not isolate when he returned. One rule for the rich and another for the rest of us.
Meanwhile, energy prices will rise for millions of people across the UK in October, right at the start of the cold weather.
Regulator Ofgem said the price cap for default domestic energy deals would be raised to cover suppliers’ extra costs.
The typical gas and electricity customer is likely to see their bill go up by £139 to £1,277 a year.
Charities warned the timing would hit struggling families hard, who already face losing an extra £20 a week from Universal Credit in October.
Prepayment customers will see an increase of £153, from £1,156 to £1309, the regulator said.
Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley told the BBC: “The reason the price cap is going up is there has been a record increase in energy prices across the board, not just in gas and electricity but in petrol and diesel.”
He urged customers to shop around for the best tariffs, saying there were big savings to be made by switching.
“You don’t have to live with this tariff. The price cap is a backstop. We’d encourage any customer, particularly those struggling to pay their bills, to contact their supplier, and get access to a wide-range of help and support,” he said.
“This is a devastating increase,” said Peter Smith, director of policy and advocacy at fuel poverty charity National Energy Action.
“Millions of household budgets are already stretched to the limit and this massive increase could not be coming at a worse time.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said the party should be “very proud” of Tony Blair’s record in government.
In an interview with the financial times, he said too many Labour members were focused on winning internal rows.
He said such disputes are not “changing the world” and that supporters of the party had to “get real”.
Not much there for the poor and vulnerable that this Knight of the realm is supposed to represent.
Jonathan Marshall, senior economist of the resolution foundation, said the government must focus on widening the current warm homes discount scheme, as well as reversing the planned removal of the £20 Universal Credit uplift. There should also be more targeted support for families at risk of falling into fuel poverty.
“A rise in in energy prices will disproportionately impact those who are already struggling,” said Mr Marshall.
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