Amol Rajan called out a cabinet minister this morning over Labour’s election promise to lower bills as the cost of energy continues to rise in the UK.
Labour vowed to cut energy bills by £300 by 2030, but data from February found that annual bills will soon be £160 more expensive than they were 12 months before.
Energy regulator Ofgem reported last month that the average energy bill will increase to £1,849 from April – the price cap’s third consecutive increase.
It also marked the first time since quarterly updates were set up in 2022 that the April energy price cap has been higher than the one set in January.
Rajan, a presenter for BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, asked about energy secretary Ed Miliband just what had happened to Labour’s pledge.
“It’s true to say bills have gone up in the first eight months of this government,” Miliband admitted, while blaming the UK’s “dependence on fossil fuels” for this price increase.
He added: “At the moment we’re in the grip of fossil fuel markets, controlled by petrol states and dictators, global gas prices – UK gas prices are controlled by global markets – went up by 15% in the last quarter and that’s feeding through to bills.
“There is only one answer to this – clean home grown power that we control.”
But Rajan hit back: “Of course you make the case for what you’re planning to do to get bills down, but the evidence of your first eight months shows things are going in the wrong direction.”
The presenter pointed out how energy regulator Ofgem says bills are £160 higher than they were before Labour were in office.
He added: “Why should anyone have confidence that you’re going to get them down by £460 in the next five years? That’s hot air, as you might call it.
“Whatever you’re doing, it’s not working is it?”
Miliband said: “Absolutely it is! The truth is, we’ve got to interrogate the evidence about why they’ve gone up.”
The presenter also scrutinised Labour’s green plan, which the party promised would create 650,000 jobs by 2030.
Miliband replied: “This is the growth opportunity of the 21st century. We can argue about the figures until the cows come home, but frankly if you want to create growth in our economy, if you want to create jobs of the future, this is an absolutely essential part of the answer.”
“I’m confident about our pledges, I’m confident we’re going to meet them, and we are already making progress,” he added.