Rishi Sunak 'condemns millions' to paying £500-a-year more in bills after U-turn
Rishi Sunak is “condemning millions to soaring energy bills” with his U-turn on net zero commitments, Labour has warned.
New analysis found the PM tearing up plans to force landlords to make homes more energy efficient would mean families paying £500 a year more in energy bills. Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader said Mr Sunak was “leaving families up and down the country paying the price for his weak leadership.”
More than 60% of private rented houses in England are rated below the EPC C standard, leaving 3 million tenants across the country facing higher bills and colder homes. Under plans consulted on in 2021, landlords would have seven years to get their homes up to standard, with warmer homes and lower bills for tenants. But these were scrapped in Mr Sunak’s announcement on Wednesday - leaving landlords to decide for themselves whether to improve their buildings.
Ms Rayner said: “ Rishi Sunak is condemning millions of families to soaring energy bills in the middle of a cost of living crisis. Not only is he selling out British businesses, he’s left households facing a £500 spike in bills and colder homes. This Prime Minister is once again being bullied by Liz Truss, and once again leaving families up and down the country paying the price for his weak leadership.”
Meanwhile it was revealed Mr Sunak had dumped his home energy efficiency taskforce. The group - tasked with speeding up home insulation and boiler upgrades - was only launched in March. But members - including Government Infrastructure tsar Sir John Armitt - were informed in a letter that it was being wound up.
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Ed Miliband, Labour's Shadow Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, said: "Every family is paying the price in higher energy bills due to thirteen years of Tory failure on insulating homes. After Rishi Sunak's track record as chancellor with the disastrous Green Homes Grant, this is another shortsighted decision that will cost families money. Only Labour can bring down energy bills for the British people, with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade every home that needs it in our country."
In 2020, the English Housing Survey found the average annual cost saving of improving homes to EPC C for private renters was £276. At the time, the energy price cap was £1,042 - but it’s now nearly doubled to £1,923 - meaning the average cost saving would be close to £500. Some one in nine private renters suffer from damp problems - equivalent to around half a million families.
Ms Rayner added: “These regulations would save renters money and protect some of the most vulnerable in our society from the scourge of unsafe and unfit housing, but Rishi Sunak has abandoned them. Labour’s Warm Homes Plan will upgrade nineteen million homes, rollout energy efficiency measures and give devolved governments and local authorities the power and the resources to bring every home in their area up to standard within a decade.”
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