Energy Secretary Ed Miliband (Image: Getty)
The Tories hit out at Labour after the
Regulator Ofgem announced that average bills for households in England, Scotland and Wales will increase by 6.4% from £1,738 to £1,849 from April 1 following a recent spike in wholesale prices.
Acting Shadow Energy Secretary Andrew Bowie said: “The latest hike in the Energy Price Cap is a betrayal to the families who Ed Miliband promised to save £300 on their bills.
“Labour’s election promise is shot and bills are on the rise.
“What’s more, the Government are not being honest about the trade-offs required to fund their fantastical energy policies – it will be families who are hit with the bill.”
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Labour pledged during the election campaign to bring down energy bills by £300 a year by 2030.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has faced repeated questions about whether the promise is deliverable following a series of price cap hikes.
The Government wants to make almost all of the UK’s electricity production green by 2030.
The rise will equate to £111 for an average household per year, or around £9.25 a month, over the three-month period of the price cap.
Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said: “We know that no price rise is ever welcome, and that the cost of energy remains a huge challenge for many households.
“But our reliance on international gas markets leads to volatile wholesale prices, and continues to drive up bills, which is why it’s more important than ever that we’re driving forward investment in a cleaner, homegrown system.
“Energy debts that began during the energy crisis have reached record levels and without intervention will continue to grow. This puts families under huge stress and increases costs for all customers. We’re developing plans that could give households with unmanageable debt the clean slate they need to move forward.”