Jon Cruddas backs Labour’s plan to tackle energy crisis

Jon Cruddas says many local families will need more support to get through this winter

The MP for Dagenham and Rainham, Jon Cruddas, says Labour’s plan to tackle rising winter fuel bills would save local households £1,000. 

Mr Cruddas said their “fully-funded” £29 billion scheme would prevent the energy price cap from rising through winter. It would be paid for by taxing oil and gas companies who are making record profits. 

Labour has also put forward proposals to insulate 19 million homes over the next ten years to help reduce residents bills and demand for energy. 

The party said it had urged the government to introduce its Warm Homes Plan a year ago and that two million of the coldest households could have been insulated by this winter if they had acted. 

“Families across Dagenham and Rainham are scared about how they’ll get through the winter with bills through the roof,” said Jon Cruddas. 

“Labour’s plan to save households in my constituency £1,000 this winter and invest in sustainable British energy to bring bills down in the long-term, is a direct response to the national economic emergency that is leaving families fearing for the future.

“Our fully-funded plan would fix the problems immediately and for the future – helping people in Dagenham & Rainham get through the winter while providing the foundations for a stronger, more secure economy. Only Labour can give Britain the fresh start it needs.”

Earlier today, the NHS Confederation warned Britain faces a “humanitarian crisis” if the government does not take immediate action to limit rising energy prices. 

NHS leaders said the annual 10,000 deaths associated with cold homes is likely to rise even higher this winter.

They also argued the government’s current plan to provide people with £400 between April and October does not go far enough. 

Chief executive, Matthew Taylor, said: “Many people could face the awful choice between skipping meals to heat their homes and having to live in in cold, damp and very unpleasant conditions. This in turn could lead to outbreaks of illness and sickness around the country and widen health inequalities, worsen children’s life chances and leave an indelible scar on local communities.

“These outbreaks will strike just as the NHS is likely to experience the most difficult winter on record. NHS leaders have made this unprecedented intervention as they know that fuel poverty will inevitably lead to significant extra demand on what are already very fragile services.

“Health leaders are clear that unless urgent action is taken by the government this will cause a public health emergency.”

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