Davey: Scrap energy bill rise for pensioners stripped of Winter Fuel Payments
EMBARGO: Immediate Release
Liberal Democrat Leader and former energy secretary Ed Davey is calling on the Government to scrap the latest energy bill rise for the almost 10 million pensioners who’ve been stripped of their Winter Fuel Payments.
Energy regulator Ofgem has just confirmed that the price cap for energy bills is set to rise a further 6.4% from April, the third consecutive quarter where prices have risen.
A recent poll by the Liberal Democrats found nine in ten UK adults who are worried about the cost of heating have changed how they heat their homes this winter, to help cut bills.
Liberal Democrats, who have been campaigning against the Government’s unfair Winter Fuel Payment cut, said ministers should give struggling pensioners immediate support by protecting them from this price cap increase. The party is also calling on the Government to implement an energy social tariff to protect vulnerable people living in fuel poverty.
Commenting, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said:
“The Government must scrap this energy bill rise for pensioners who have had their Winter Fuel Payments cut.
“Ministers should reverse their cut to Winter Fuel Payments altogether, but the least they could do is to ensure bills for those impacted do not rise further.
“Thousands of vulnerable people have shamefully been left to choose between heating or eating this winter. The Government has got to get a grip on energy bills and fast.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor:
The Price Cap is forecasted to further increase in coming quarters, despite the Government pledging to bring down energy bills by up to £300 by 2030. This increase is the third consecutive quarterly price cap rise.
According to the government's own estimates, 50,000 more pensioners will be in relative poverty this year due to the cut to winter fuel payments.
Our recent press release on the polling of UK adults can be found here
Methodology: Savanta interviewed 2,286 UK adults aged 18+ online between 24th and 26th January 2025. Data were weighted to be representative of the UK by age, sex, region, and social grade.
