Keir Starmer is today attempting to get back on the front foot over the cost-of-living crisis. Over the past fortnight, the Labour leader has been keeping a low profile (including a holiday abroad) which has given space to former prime minister Gordon Brown and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey to fill the vacuum in his absence. The policy Starmer has unveiled this morning isn’t so different to what both Brown and Davey talked about when it comes to helping consumers with rising energy bills: freezing the energy price cap.
Starmer is proposing a £29 billion plan ahead of the scheduled energy price cap rise in October, which is currently forecast to hit £3,582 a year. He wants to freeze it at its current rate of £1,971 – funding it through an extension of the windfall tax (backdating the start date to January) as well as measures including a cancellation of the £400 energy rebate.
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