Good Morning Britain presenter Martin Lewis clashed with Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds over the Labour government.
Martin Lewis challenges Business and Trade Secretary on GMB
Good Morning Britain presenter Martin Lewis and minister Jonathan Reynolds clashed over the Labour party’s handling of rising taxes.
Martin told the Business and Trade Secretary: “You talk about that with energy but when you weren’t in Parliament and I used to meet with countless Labour MPs and shadow cabinent members, we used to talk about a social tariff to bring bills down for the most vulnerable, we’d talk about getting rid of standing charges.
“Now, nothing! Tumbleweed, in terms of actions for consumers since you came in.”
He continued: “So yes, you can talk about the long-term infrastructure in your plans, why aren’t you doing something more immediate with an 18% rise in energy since you came into power for two-thirds of hosues in England, Scotland and Wales?
Reynolds replied: “I can assure there has been no tumbleweed in the department since the election, the ambition and determination they’ve got to get this country onto a future of secure, clean energy supplies is absolutely central to delivering upon that, you’re right to say we’ve got to look at some of those short term pressures and there is some work underway…”
Jonathan Reynolds was skewered on GMB (Image: ITV)
Martin jumped in: “We know what they are, you haven’t done any of them.”
Reynolds replied: “The spending review is not far away where we’ve got the chance to do some of those things which will make a difference in the biggest way.
“I can’t announce them, you know you’ve got to wait until the big announcement , but we are absolutely aware of the pressures in place, but we need a long-term plan, as well as relief for people in the short term.”
Martin hit back: “Forgive me, I think the government seems to have a bit of a wait problem, because every time I ask it something, it tells me to wait.”
Don’t miss…
GMB’s Susanna Reid interrupts ITV broadcast to declare ‘major incident’ [LATEST]
Everything Holly Willoughby has said about Phillip Schofield’s career downfall [LATEST]
Good Morning Britain airs huge show change in blow to Labour [LATEST]
Martin Lewis blasted the MP over the Labour government (Image: ITV)
“I wrote to the secretary of energy about smart meters. We have a perverse targeting that means companies are fined if they don’t install smart meters, even if they don’t work. They have to install them, and yet, they don’t repair smart meters because the target is to install them as opposed to repair broken ones.”
Martin continued: “I’ve written to the secretary of state asking him to change this. I’ve had nods and smiles, but nothing’s happened. Do you have a wait problem?”
As Susanna chuckled, Reynolds responded: “I will make sure that you get a response to that; again, that’s a programme that has got a lot of difficult things going on with it.
“There’s a lot to fix, but we’ve already started,” but before he could finish, Martin interrupted: “I’ve got another one, broadband and mobile phones. For years, we’ve had above-inflation mid-contract price hikes.
“The regulator has finally changed that, so new customers can get told before they get a bill exactly how much it will go up. That is an improvement, but those rises are actually bigger than the inflation price hikes we had before … you’re allowing over-inflation price hikes, which is inflationary and will continue a vicious cycle.”
Most Popular Comments