Your MP has a voice in Parliament. As the Energy Bill returns to Parliament on Tuesday 5th September 2023, it is crucial that they attend and support amendments to tackle the cost of living crisis and lower energy bills for good.
Caroline Lucas MP is hosting a debate on Fossil Fuels and Increases in the Cost of Living in Parliament at Westminster Hall on the 11th of January from 9.30am to 11am. It's a great opportunity for us to show MPs why fixing the cost of living crisis means taking the leap away from fossil fuels - and why it needs to happen now. But first, we need to get MPs in the hall.
UPDATE: The Energy Bill returns to Parliament on Tuesday 5th September, and it’s the last real chance for debate on what gets passed into law. This is a critical opportunity for MPs to take action on the cost-of-living crisis and fix our broken energy system for good. That's why we're asking you to email your MP urgently today and ask them to attend the debate and support our amendments.
The Energy Bill is the first piece of legislation to be passed by the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It’s a chance for the government to take meaningful action on the root causes of the energy crisis.
If we want this bill to make a difference, we need MPs to attend the debate tomorrow and support amendments to:
We have already made massive progress on improving the bill and the Warm This Winter coalition has managed to table several amendments to make up for what was missing in the original bill.
Together, we can make sure that this bill makes a real difference and show the government that energy is the top priority for us all.
There's a template you can use, but a more personal message can make a big impact. If you're able to, you could make your email more powerful by writing in your own words and telling your MP about your own experience of the current crisis and what it means for your local community. If your MP has signed the Warm This Winter pledge (check here), thank them and highlight this as an opportunity to act on their promise.
Writing tips:
With your help, we can seize this crucial moment and put pressure on the government to take action and fix our broken energy system for good.
You were elected to government with an enormous majority on the promise of change. You have a real opportunity - and responsibility - to deliver it. We’re encouraged to see that you’ve already stuck by your promise to end the ban on new onshore wind in England. But there’s still much more to do to make our energy system fairer and protect households this winter.
For too long, our broken energy system has prioritised oil and gas company profits and left millions of people living in cold, damp, mouldy homes, forced to make a stark choice between heating our homes and eating.
Millions of people are still living in fuel poverty. Whilst energy bills fell in the summer, we all know the benefits will be wiped out when they rise again in October. At a time of soaring energy debt, many of us simply cannot afford another winter of the same old system.
In your manifesto, you promised urgently needed change: to lower energy bills, insulate homes and invest in homegrown clean energy while getting us off oil and gas. Now, you must take urgent action to support struggling households through the coming winter.
We urge you to stick to the promises you made and deliver on them for communities all across the UK by: protecting vulnerable households, launching a Help to Repay energy debt scheme, expanding renewables, banning forced prepayment meters and ensuring smart meters work for all who want them, ramping up insulation programmes, reforming standing charges and ending energy industry profiteering.
There are simple and immediate ways you can begin to deliver on your commitments, and make things fairer for households, including:
- Launching the Warm Homes Plan
- Introducing a more comprehensive Warm Homes Discount this winter
- Protecting us from soaring energy prices by getting off oil and gas for good
We voted for bold solutions to the energy crisis.
As the UK government, you have a once in a generation opportunity to show that you will bring meaningful change to fix our broken energy system for good.
