Reacting to confirmation that the average household energy bill will rise to £3,549, Lewis said: “This is a disaster… if we don’t get further government intervention, beyond what was announced in May, then lives will be lost this winter. “ Lewis expressed his anger at the government and the two Tory leadership candidates for the absence of any detailed plan to help people cope with the rise. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “The only thing I’ve heard that gives me some hope is that both candidates have said they understand the need for more help. My disappointment is that we haven’t been told clear details from both candidates, and especially from the candidate most likely to win [Truss]what is this help.” He said ministers and leadership aspirants did nothing to stop people’s panic. “The damage to the mental health of people across the country is devastating. This is not good government. It’s not a good policy either. I’m just shocked they didn’t think we should have something to give people peace of mind,” he said. “If you looked at my social media inbox, the panic, the frustration, the depression – people just saying: how am I going to afford to eat and feed myself?” Lewis said he could not understand why ministers had delayed announcing an emergency plan. “This is shocking, but not surprising. What is surprising is that we allowed this announcement to be made. This is within £50 of what we had all predicted. And all we have heard is “we have to wait for the real number”. Why?” Lewis pointed out that the new price cap represents 37% of the state pension and “will be an even bigger proportion” of income for those on universal credit. And he predicted that some high energy users, such as disabled people, could face bills of £10,000. “We are in an absolutely horrible situation. And it’s going to get even worse in January,” Lewis said. The chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, said he recognized the energy price hike “will cause stress and anxiety for many people” and insisted the government “help is coming”. Labor accused the government of dereliction of duty. The shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said it was appalling that no minister was willing to appear on TV or radio on Friday to answer questions about the new price cap. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: “The government needs to act. They need to freeze gas and electricity prices during the winter. They should pay for it with an extension of the windfall tax on the hugely profitable oil and gas companies and use that money to keep bills as low as possible for everyone else. “Ministers earn salaries to run the country. And yet they are not here to organize what they are going to do in a time of great stress and anxiety for the people. This is a dereliction of duty and, frankly, it’s horrible.” Reeves also criticized Truss and Rishi Sunak. He said: “The two people who want to be the next Conservative prime minister have been going around the country for the last few weeks to set there policies on almost everything except the biggest problem facing our country right now, which is these sky-highs . on natural gas electricity prices, about which they have almost nothing to say.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. He defended Labour’s plans to freeze bills after the charity Full Fact claimed there was a £5bn hole in the party’s policy because it failed to account for higher energy consumption during winter. Reeves said: “The last time [Full Fact] They checked Labour’s analysis, they had to withdraw their statement a few days later. So I would take it with a pinch of salt. This is a six month package. And that’s fully priced.” Price cap from 2018-19 – chart Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the rise in the energy price cap was “nothing short of a disaster” for millions of households. “As millions suffer, the Conservatives do nothing. No policy from the government, no plan from Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak. They have no idea how much pain these energy prices will cause our country. They are simply incapable of governing,” he said. Andrew Forsey, the national director of anti-hunger charity Feeding Britain, said: “Unless significant additional help is offered by the new Prime Minister, these staggering prices will create a vicious hunger trap, leaving millions of families unable to afford heating . or eating.” Sara Ogilvie, policy director at the Child Poverty Action Group, said the new cap would frighten many low-income families. “We know that families with children spend 30% more on their energy bills than households without children, yet the government has completely failed to recognize the extra costs faced by households with children,” he said.
