‘Recall parliament to tackle energy crisis’, says Labour

Labour demanded that parliament be called early from summer recess in order to address the energy crisis.

Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow leader and Bristol West MP, has asked for parliament’s return on August 22nd. He sent separate letters to Boris Johnson and to leadership contenders Liz Truss.ndSo energy bills can be frozen prior to the announcement of a new price cap.

Experts expect the energy price cap to hit £3,582 in October; by comparison the average bill was £1,400 a year in October 2021.

Officially, the new price cap will be announced on August 26thThSo, recalling parliament would give the government an opportunity to freeze its current cap and pass legislation to allow it to intervene in other ways.


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Debbonaire’s letter to Boris Johnson reiterates the urgency of this crisis and calls on him to act with urgency.

“Across Britain, people are having to make unthinkable choices about how to pay their bills, causing endless worry for households and businesses,” she wrote.

“That is why I am writing to you today to urge you to bring Parliament back early on Monday 22 August so that we can freeze the energy price cap now ahead of winter.”

“We cannot wait to act.”

Labour has previously said the announcement of the updated cap was a “crucial deadline” for the government.

The party created a plan last week that included lowering the price cap to April 2023 and generating profits from windfall taxes.

Earlier this week, Rishi Sunak rejected Labour’s plan telling ITV’s This Morning that a freeze in bills  was a “very blunt instrument” and provides “a lot of support for people who don’t need it”.

Liz Truss also dismissed the opposition’s plan, describing it as a “sticking plaster”.

“What’s not right is throwing money at the problem without dealing with the root cause,” she said.

But shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves claims that Truss’s current plan would see those struggling the most in the UK receive just £1 a week when their costs will rise by an estimated £57.

Truss claims she will address the energy crisis by reverseing the increase in national insurance, suspending the green levie part of energy bills, and cancelling a planned rise for corporation tax.

Sunak considers controlling inflation a priority. He has pledged to reduce the VAT on domestic energy bills from 5 to 5% to zero. He also plans to reduce 3p income tax by the end of 2029.