Labour attacks rising energy bills

20/10/11

By Yamurai Zendera

Labour is calling for a radical simplification of energy tariffs to make it easier for people to compare different offers.

The opposition party also attacked the Government for failing to get the big six energy firms to lower their prices, which it says have shot up by 20 per cent this year alone.

Labour said the coalition should have done more to persuade the firms to change their approach when it called them in for a recent summit on the energy market.

Shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint said consumers were faced with a stark choice of paying for food or heating as a result of soaring prices.

In moving a motion claiming the UK's energy market urgently needs reform to ensure it better serves the public interest, she said: "This winter could be as bitter as last year when we saw the coldest December on record. Energy bills are up by more than 20 per cent this year alone taking them to the second highest level in Europe.

"The average family is now paying £1,345 per year just to keep the lights on and the house warm."