Alan Whitehead – 2021 Comments on Government’s Fuel Poverty Strategy

The comments made by Alan Whitehead, the Shadow Minister for Energy, on 11 February 2021.

After presiding over a decade of spiralling energy bills and rising fuel poverty, it’s welcome that this Government is now taking action – but today’s announcements won’t do enough to help families make ends meet.

The Government urgently needs to act to bring energy costs down, fix its botched Green Homes Scheme, and provide more clarity on what it will do for regions such as the North East where disproportionate numbers live in fuel poverty.

Fuel poverty can’t be separated from other types of deprivation, which this Government has consistently failed to tackle amidst rising costs and falling incomes for families during the pandemic.

Labour would give families security by ensuring our energy market puts consumers first, bringing in proper measures to reduce bills, and providing warm homes for all.