With the squeeze on incomes and cold weather approaching, we’ve been asking MPs to show their support for our demands: more help for those struggling this winter, and fixing the UK’s broken energy system so that we don’t have to face another winter like this.
This means more targeted support now for the millions of households who will still live in fuel poverty, even with the government’s support package. The cold truth is that 6.5 million people will be unable to stay warm this winter, with families with children, the elderly, people with disabilities and those with pre-existing health conditions especially hard hit.
But while this winter will be bad, next winter could be even worse as some of the government's support runs out in early 2023 at the same time as it plans to cut benefits in real terms.
The government urgently needs to come up with a coherent plan to lower energy bills in future. This means getting the UK off unaffordable gas through a government-backed, national rollout of home insulation and an acceleration of affordable renewables. The UK has some of the leakiest homes in Europe. But through a rapid national insulation programme, the government could save itself, and us, billions.
Its plans to boost UK gas production don’t stand up to scrutiny: fracking faces massive public opposition; and oil and gas companies are being handed vast public subsidies to develop new North Sea fields that will take years to come online and, even then, will only make a marginal difference to gas production. Homegrown renewable energy is now nine times cheaper than UK gas.
Conservative MPs that have come out and backed one or more of the #WarmThisWinter demands include:
Thank you.
Stay tuned for more updates from Warm This Winter.
