Richmond Park News: 12 August 2022
ENERGY PRICE CAP
People across Richmond Park and the rest of the UK will be facing an potentially unprecedented increase in their energy bills this winter. This week, the Liberal Democrats therefore proposed a bold and ambitious plan to address this issue, in the absence of a clear proposal from Government. The plan would save a typical household an extra £1,400 a year. The 70% increase in the energy price cap expected to be announced by Ofgem later this month would be cancelled, with the Government instead paying the shortfall to energy suppliers so that they can afford to supply customers at the current rates. This estimated £36 billion cost would be met by expanding the windfall tax on oil and gas company profits, and using the Government’s higher-than-expected VAT revenues as a result of soaring inflation. When combined, these tax receipts would total over £50bn.
I have been sorely disappointed to see both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak refuse to put forward a clear proposal as to what they will do to help struggling families. Therefore, having already helped force the Government to u-turn on their refusal to enact the first windfall tax, the Liberal Democrats are again taking the initiative in proposing the bold action needed to combat this crisis. Time is of the essence to prevent an energy crisis for millions across the UK this winter.
You can see a clip of me discussing our proposal on Times Radio here, and on LBC here.
CAMPAIGN: LONG LIVE THE LOCAL
This week, I was delighted to be named a Parliamentary Champion of the ‘Long Live the Local’ group.
This campaign, which relaunched to support the pub and brewing sector after the well-publicised challenges they faced during the pandemic, has been calling for reforms of three taxes:
A re-introduction of a lower level of VAT for food and beverages sold in pubs.
An overall reduction in beer duty and alcohol duty reforms that support British pubs and beer as a lower strength product.
Lower business rates for pubs equitable to other smaller businesses.
It is crucial that the Government listen to our calls for reform. Having written directly to the former Chancellor about this issue, you can see the response I received from here.
I am extremely proud to have been awarded this honour for working to support the hospitality sector. These issues have been the subject of significant correspondence from constituents over the previous months, and I want to assure all residents of Richmond Park that both as the local MP, and as the Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, I will continue leading the way on this campaign.