The levels of inequality and fuel poverty in this country have been caused by political choices and inaction. As Chancellor, Rishi Sunak was at the heart of this devastating failure. The windfall tax he announced on oil and gas companies contained huge loopholes [1] and he oversaw the mismanagement and scrapping of the Green Homes Grant, which could have provided much needed insulation to thousands of homes to keep people warm this winter [2].
As the next Prime Minister he has the chance to clean his hands in his first budget. By properly taxing record fossil fuel profits he could help provide support for those in need, insulate homes and expand cheap renewable energy [3].
The terrible reality is, government inaction to stop rising energy bills and insulate homes will cost lives. It will disproportionately impact disabled and older people, people of colour and those from impoverished communities. Too many people will have to choose between heating their homes or eating.
Many medical and mobility devices require electricity, meaning on average people with disabilities have much higher energy bills just for using equipment they need in their day to day lives. The government has failed to give disabled people the support they need in a cost of living crisis - this is unforgivable.
That’s why we took action today. We occupied Westminster. We brought energy bills from people concerned by their bills and read their testimonies that our new Prime Minister needs to listen to. Government chaos is costing lives and it’s costing the climate. Whether you’re concerned about your energy bill or the climate emergency - soon-to-be PM Rishi Sunak cannot ignore us any longer.
Can you join us and take action to tell the soon-to-be Prime Minister he must act now to tackle the cost of living crisis and the climate crisis?
