Many constituents have emailed in about energy price rises but the issue has not gone away. I raise this, and the hardship people are facing frequently on my social media sites because it is so very important.
I know many households in our area and across the country are struggling to pay energy bills now and are fearful of the impact of future energy bill rises.
I routinely sign relevant parliamentary motions on this subject, and EDM 825 last year specifically called for scrapping the VAT rate on energy bills, providing greater financial assistance to low-income households, and bringing the energy sector back into public ownership:
https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/59318/energy-prices
I also feel that the Energy Charter Treaty undermines our democracy and jeopardises our efforts to address climate change and I am strongly opposed to it. It must end.
Additionally, I signed EDM 1279 on withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty and am happy to have done so. You can see this here:
https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/61014
We must make transformative investments immediately to provide for green transport infrastructure, obtain energy from renewable sources, ensure buildings are environmentally friendly, restore and protect green spaces, protect biodiversity, create green jobs, and address global injustice and inequality at the same time.
Community renewable energy should be incorporated into the energy grid, and I will continue to speak out in support of protecting the future of our planet instead of protecting fossil fuel profits. The more clean energy that is made available to everyone, reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, the better.
I will continue to press the Government on these urgent issues at every opportunity.
