Ed Miliband appeared flustered during a fiery BBC Breakfast grilling as he struggled to guarantee energy companies would pass on a promised £150 saving to customers.
Ed Miliband appeared flustered during a fiery BBC Breakfast grilling as he struggled to guarantee energy companies would pass on a promised £150 saving to customers. The Energy Secretary repeatedly insisted “yes, yes, yes” when challenged over whether all energy firms would honour the pledge but his shaken delivery sparked fresh doubts over Labour’s ability to deliver on energy promises.
Asked directly whether he knew “for sure” that energy companies would pass on the £150 to customers, a visibly flustered Mr Miliband replied: “Yes, yes, yes indeed, and we’re going to make sure it happens. […] I think they recognise after discussions with us that it is actually crucial this money gets passed on, and their pledging to do so, and we’ll make sure they do.”
The awkward exchange came as the Government unveiled its Warm Homes Plan but critics say four in five households will receive no benefit from the scheme.
Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho slammed the scheme, warning families face higher taxes and soaring electricity bills. She said: “Four in five households will receive no benefit from this plan, but they will suffer from higher taxes and higher electricity bills thanks to Ed Miliband’s political choices.”
Ms Coutinho added: “The biggest problem the country has when it comes to energy is that we are in an electricity price crisis Ed Miliband’s making. Labour’s focus should be on bringing down the cost of electricity for every family in the country.”
Miliband rattled over £150 savings guarantee (Image: Getty)
The criticism comes as energy bills have soared by £190 under Labour despite the party pledging to cut bills by £300 during the election campaign. The energy price cap for July to September 2024 was £1,568 compared to £1,758 for January to March 2026, a £190 increase that has left families struggling.
Shockingly, almost half the cost of producing electricity in Britain – equivalent to £22billion a year – is now paying for the costs of renewables and Net Zero policies.
This includes renewable subsidies, the Carbon Tax, backup power for when renewables fail, paying wind farms to switch off when it is too windy, and the cost of building pylons.
Coutinho slams scheme as four in five lose out (Image: Getty)
All of these costs are recovered through energy bills, meaning families are footing the bill for Mr Miliband’s green agenda. The UK’s largest energy suppliers have warned that bills would still rise by 2030, even if gas prices plummeted, due to the extra costs of Net Zero targets.
Bosses from Octopus Energy, E.ON and EDF Energy told MPs last October that bills would rise even if wholesale prices halved, due to soaring Government renewables subsidies and grid costs.
Ms Coutinho warned: “Unless the Government gets serious about cutting electricity bills now, many of these taxpayer-funded schemes will saddle households with high ongoing running costs every single year.
“If the Government really wants people to adopt things like heat pumps, they need to make them much cheaper to run by adopting our Cheap Power Plan to cut everyone’s electricity bill by 20%.”
