Nearly a third of MPs have signed a letter urging prime minister Theresa May to honour her general election pledge to cap all standard variable tariff deals
A total of 192 MPs have signed a cross party letter to the prime minister and energy secretary Greg Clark, calling for an extension of Ofgem’s proposed cap on the 2m most vulnerable households’ bills to all 17m customers on SVTs.
The letter was signed by 76 Conservative MPs, 83 Labour MPs and 32 Scottish Nationalist Party MPs as well as the sole Green MP Caroline Lucas. The signatories include defeated Conservative London mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith, environmental audit select committee chair Mary Creagh and ex-shadow energy and climate secretary Lisa Nandy.
It was organized by ex-Conservative minister John Penrose, former shadow secretary of state for energy and climate change Caroline Flint and SNP backbencher Patricia Gibson. The three MPs also collaborated earlier this year on energy prices when they organized a House of Commons debate on the issue.
Referring to Ofgem’s proposal, which the energy regulator said it was planning to publish before the end of this month, the letter says: “ While these proposals are a step in the right direction it is clear we must do more to protect the further 15 million households who continue to be preyed on by the Big 6 energy firms.”
“We hope you will work with us and Ofgem to stop this Big 6 stitch-up, and pledge to help the millions of households who Ofgem seem set to ignore.”
Penrose urged the government to override Ofgem by implementing the cap itself.
He said: “For decades the ‘Big Six’ energy companies have ripped off 17 million consumers. And yet Ofgem have chosen to stand idly by, leaving 15 million customers on SVTs to be preyed upon.
“If Ofgem won’t challenge the ‘Big Six’ and stand up for consumers, the Government should replace it and implement the energy price cap itself.
“This was a manifesto pledge in the Conservative, Labour and SNP election campaigns, and the breadth and depth of cross-party signatures on this letter shows huge support for the Government to get this through Parliament.”