Keir Starmer has defended the £29 billion cost of Labour’s plan to freeze energy bills this winter after some economists said it could cost as much as furlough introduced during the pandemic.
The Labour leader said the scheme was fully funded and depended on a boosted windfall tax on the oil and gas companies to maintain the price freeze.
Speaking during a visit to the Nationwide Building Society headquarters in Swindon, Starmer said: “We basically have got a choice. We either allow the oil and gas companies to continue to make huge profits while millions of households are really struggling or we do something about it."
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“Our scheme is fully funded and it’s fully funded partly by this windfall tax on the oil and gas companies making excess profits.”
He added: ”What you’ve got from Labour is a fully costed plan to deal with the increases that are likely to come in the autumn and early next year.
“Contrast that with the zombie Government who are producing absolutely no plan and no answers to what they’re going to do about the energy increase in October and then again in January.
“I can tell you millions of people are really worried about what’s going to happen this autumn and this winter. They’re hearing absolutely nothing from this Government.”
Starmer also challenged what he called the “casual assumption” that most people can cope with energy price bills that going to go up to £3,500 in October and £4,200 in January.
He said: “I’m here at the Nationwide in Swindon and talking to some of the staff and they’ve been very clear that all sorts of people are coming in for advice because so many people will not be able to cope with that.
Starmer added: “This is a scheme that covers the whole of a very difficult winter period and for those that are challenging me, particularly the Tories challenging me, I’d say ‘where is your plan for this winter?’ because there isn’t one.”
