'For the sake of every family - Tories must put a freeze on all energy bills NOW'

From October, families across the country will be left in financial despair.

Households will be paying £3,549 a year on average for their energy bills.

For those on pre-payment meters the cost will be even higher. The hardship will be widespread and unforgiving.

Millions will simply not be able to pay. It is no exaggeration to say pensioners will die of cold, children will go hungry and businesses will go to the wall – that’s the bleak reality of what’s about to happen.

And the situation will get even worse as the winter progresses with average bills set to rise to more than £6,000 by this spring.

The Ofgem price rise decision came as no surprise to anyone.

The hardship will be widespread and unforgiving (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

There have been warnings for months now that this totally unprecedented hike was on its way.

Which makes it all the more unforgivable that our invisible couldn’t-care-less Government failed to act.

We are in this mess because the Conservatives wound up the country’s gas storage facilities, cut investment in insulation and renewables and took our energy security for granted.

Even now, with the country on the brink of a national catastrophe, the Tories remain absent without leave.

While the Tories dither over which nonentity to choose as their new leader, people cannot sleep at night (REUTERS)

A responsible party would have called a halt to the tiresome, never-ending leadership contest in order to draw up an emergency plan to help people weather this economic storm.

It would have a put the needs of the country at the top of its priority list.

In France they have imposed a four per cent cap on energy price rises.

In Spain they introduced free travel on trains to help with the cost of living crisis. Germany has built up its gas storage supplies.

In contrast, the UK Government has fled the deck as the ship heads full speed towards the rocks.

In contrast, the UK Government has fled the deck as the ship heads full speed towards the rocks (PA)

While the Tories dither over which nonentity to choose as their new leader, people cannot sleep at night.

They are anxious about how they are going to pay their bills, cover their mortgages and rent, keep their jobs and put food on their table.

They are crying out for a comprehensive package of support that meets the scale of the crisis.

For the sake of every family in the land this should start with a blanket freeze on all energy bills now.