Local Tory MP Richard Drax voted this week against a freeze on energy bills for over 40,000 households in South Dorset.
Thousands of households across the area were denied an energy bill freeze following a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday night. Conservatives and their Liberal Democrat helpers, including Richard Drax for joined forces to block Labour’s callto freeze energy bills until 2017 – a measure that could have saved 40,213 households across South Dorset an average of £120.
Labour’s Candidate for the area, Simon Bowkett said:
“This week, our local MP Richard Drax had the chance to put the people of South Dorset first and vote for a freeze on energy bills, but he refused. Instead of supporting a freeze on prices that would help 40,000 households across our area struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, he has ignored the issue once again.
“Hardworking people across Weymouth, Portland, Swanage and Purbeck will rightly ask why Mr Drax has left them out in the cold and voted against Labour’s plans to help hardworking families struggling with soaring energy bills.In voting against David Cameron’s Tories have proved again that they only stand up for a privileged few.”
Caroline Flint MP, Labour’s Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, said:
“Yesterday’s vote in Parliament showed once again that the Government is determined to kick the problem of rip-off energy bills into the long grass.
“As the recent price freeze announcement from SSE showed, energy companies are now bringing forward precisely those reforms first proposed by Labour, and which the Government claimed was impossible. But Tories and Lib Dems from across the country, including here in South Dorset, refused to support a nationwide price freeze last night.
“A Labour Government will freeze your gas and electricity bills until 2017, and reform our broken energy market. Our plans will break up the big energy companies, put an end to their secret deals and make tariffs simpler and fairer. And until these reforms kick in, we will put a stop to unfair price rises by freezing energy bills until 2017, saving the average household £120.”
