During his appearance on the BBC’s Question Time last night, Ian Blackford commented on the energy price cap hike which will lead to a significant rise in household bills for millions of people in Britain. The increase is expected to add an additional £700 to the average household’s annual gas and electricity bills.
The energy price cap will rise today, April 1, when increases in payments, such as the state pension and universal credit, take effect.
It will increase from £1,277 to £1,971 per year, an increase of £693 or 54%.
Speaking from the Question Time panel, alongside MP Maria Caulfield, MP Steve Reed, Zanny Minton Beddoes and Julia Hartley-Brewer, Mr Blackford warned that people could no longer afford rising prices.
He said: ‘This is a massive crisis and I guess most people haven’t experienced the kind of inflation we are seeing, unless you lived in the 1970s like some of us.
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“But, you know, you’re talking about the price cap tomorrow, you’re talking about people, on average, seeing a £700 increase in their energy cost tomorrow.
“You’re talking, if you live off the grid, which a lot of people do in the north of Scotland, for example, they buy fuel oil and I checked the price tonight, and the price has gone up from 44p a liter a year ago at 118p.
“That means people are paying close to £1,200 to fill up their tank. People can’t afford it. »
The Westminster SNP leader went on to urge Tory MPs to push Rishi Sunak to help those suffering the most from the price cap increase.
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He told the audience: ‘I would appeal to Conservative MPs to recognize that the Chancellor needs to change course.
“There is no need for the Chancellor to say that a loan will be given later this year because people need it today and they need money in their pockets.
“I would say, listen, learn some of the lessons from what we’ve done in Scotland, because it’s the poorest people who suffer the most.
“People are going to have to make tough choices about heating or eating.”
The Chancellor has previously said a £350 per household aid would ‘ease’ people’s anxiety over soaring prices.
However, the program has been criticized for not targeting those who need it most.
Rishi Sunak has pledged to offer the majority of families a total of £350 to help them adjust to higher prices, but only £150 will arrive as energy bills rise today.
The remaining £200 will be deducted from energy bills from October, however, households will pay it back in installments from 2023.
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Source: www.express.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-04-01 00:02:40
