Ms Flint will also reveal new figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, which show how the Tories have presided over a broken energy market. Despite Ofgem issuing 30 fines, totalling over £87 million, since 2001, energy companies have continued to mistreat their customers and face another 16 probes into mis-selling, poor customer service and other bad practice. She will also highlight the scale of the rise in energy bills and the cost-of-living crisis since David Cameron became Prime Minister:
- Household energy bills have risen twice as fast as inflation since 2010.
- Household energy bills have risen four times as fast as wages since 2010.
- And household energy prices in the UK have risen faster than almost anywhere else in the developed world since 2010.
On the Conservatives’ record on energy bills, Caroline Flint will say: "These figures lay bare the full scale of the cost-of-living crisis and David Cameron’s failure to tackle rip-off energy bills. On David Cameron’s watch, energy bills in Britain have risen twice as fast as inflation, four times faster than wages and faster than almost any other country in the developed world. Households cannot afford another five years of this. At the next election there will be a real choice between another five years of rocketing energy bills, rip-off tactics and poor customer service under the Tories – or Labour’s plans to freeze energy bills until 2017, saving the average household £120, and reform the energy market for the future."
On the announcement that the next Labour Government will give the regulator the power to revoke energy companies’ licences where there are repeated instances of the most serious and deliberate breaches of their licence conditions which harm the interests of consumers, Caroline Flint will say: "The public have a right to be treated fairly by energy companies. Where firms fail to meet these standards there must be tough and decisive action. Too often energy companies seem to view the regulator’s fines as a cost of doing business – not as a warning to get their act together. Of course consumers must be compensated – but if energy companies persist in mistreating their customers they must know their licence could be on the line."
"We've been taking action to put this right. We've taken £50 off the average bill by rolling back green levies. We're carrying out a full, independent inquiry to fix the broken market we inherited. And we're forcing energy companies to simplify bills so people can be sure they are getting the best deal. Only our long-term economic plan will deliver the tax cuts and infrastructure we need to keep bills down, keep the lights on and secure Britain's energy future. All Labour offer is more of the same: higher taxes, and unworkable gimmicks which will put prices up in the long run."
