We are in the midst of a national emergency. Labour says enough is enough

IT’S hard to imagine after another scorcher of a weekend, but it won’t be long before we need to start turning up the heating to keep us warm on cold winter nights.

But this year it’ll be different, with Brits facing another eye-watering hike in gas and electricity prices, making us all think twice.

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Right now, millions of people – including young families and pensioners – won’t be able to afford to turn the heating on at all.

I’ll never forget the woman I spoke to in my constituency in Leeds West earlier this year, who had freezing hands and purple fingers because her pension wasn’t enough to pay for the heating.

And that was before prices go up.

People are scared about how they’ll make ends meet through the winter with record numbers plunged into fuel poverty.

And they’re worried about friends and loved ones who might struggle more than most.

We are in the midst of a national economic emergency.

But Labour says enough is enough.

We have a choice. This Tory government can carry on letting giant oil and gas producers make huge profits whilst working people and pensioners suffer.

Or we can do something about it.

Labour would stop energy prices rising this winter by freezing the price cap, saving the average household around £1,000.

We would pay for this by taxing oil and gas producers properly, getting rid of the loopholes the Tories were happy to wave through.

This £29bn plan will also bring inflation down, making future interest rate hikes less likely and easing the burden on households and businesses.

But we need to solve the energy crisis for good.

We’d insulate every home that needs it to get bills down with our Warm Homes Plan.

And we’d get Britain off expensive foreign gas – by investing much, much more in home grown, cleaner energy such as solar, wind, hydrogen and nuclear power.

That is the only way to make sure Brits never again face an energy price crisis like this.

We’ve had 12 years of Tory government that has failed to secure Britain’s energy supplies, leaving bills higher and our country less secure.

Labour’s plan would end the price hikes now, reduce inflation and create cheaper, cleaner energy for the future – helping people get through the winter and providing the foundations for a stronger, more secure economy.

Only Labour can give Britain the fresh start it needs.