Sir Edward Leigh accuses Government of ‘crucifying’ elderly with energy bills

The Government is “crucifying” elderly people with “ever higher” energy bills, Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh has said.

The Father of the House made reference to the slogan used by US President Donald Trump – ‘drill, baby, drill’ – and the emissions of China as he raised “the vital importance of cheap energy”.

Energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said the “status quo” in energy production is “not fit for purpose” and the UK must “wean” itself off reliance on global fossil fuel markets.

During a statement in the Commons on Thursday on Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) and Great British Insulation Scheme programmes, the longest serving MP in Parliament criticised the Government’s clean energy initiatives.

Sir Edward said: “I refer the minister to the very last word that she said in her statement that we will ensure that families have lower bills.

“Always a problem with insulation in a country with a massively degraded and older housing stock underlines the vital importance of cheap energy.

“But here we have a month with virtually no wind, no sun, ‘green energy’ – so-called – is producing hardly any of our energy. We’re importing energy. We’re stopping drilling in the North Sea. We’re not building gas-fired power stations.

“What of our old people? Their heating allowance is being taken away, and we are crucifying them with ever higher bills.

“Meanwhile, China, whose annual increment in emissions is more than our entire emissions, is going on pumping out emissions. ‘Drill, baby’ Trump is pumping out emissions. Why are we crucifying our old people?”

Energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said: “The status quo is not fit for purpose.

“So (Sir Edward) says we should not take action, yet the last government presided over the worst energy crisis that we have seen for a generation.

“His model, we have seen the last two and a half years result in record energy bills. Now that is something that the party opposite were willing to contend with and accept. That is something that the party opposite thought was tenable. It is not acceptable to us.

“And our view is we have to wean ourselves off our over-reliance on global fossil fuel markets that are volatile and critically that will not guarantee lower bills.

“We are committed to delivering clean power, yes, because it delivers on our climate requirements, but critically, because we think that is the route in which we deliver homes that are warmer and cheaper for consumers.

“At the heart of everything we are doing is ensuring that consumers who rely on energy – not because it’s a luxury good, but it is absolutely foundational – have energy that is with stable prices that they can access and that they can afford.

“That is not the status quo, and it is not a status quo that we are willing to accept. That is why we are taking action.”