Martin Lewis warns lives will be lost without more help on energy bills
The money saving expert Martin Lewis has criticised Liz Truss for failing to come up with a plan to tackle “catastrophic” energy price rises and warned that people will die without help.
Reacting to confirmation that the average household energy bill will increase to £3,549, Lewis said: “This is a catastrophe … if we do not get further government intervention, on top of what was announced in May, then lives will be lost this winter.”
Lewis expressed exasperation at the government and the two Tory leadership candidates for the absence of any detailed plan to help people cope with the rise.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “The only thing I’ve heard that gives me some hope is that both candidates have said they understand the need for more help. My frustration is that we haven’t been told in clear details by both candidates, and especially by the candidate most likely to win [Truss], what that help is.”
He said ministers and the leadership contenders had done nothing to stop people panicking.
“The mental health damage to people across the country alone is catastrophic. This is not good government. It’s not good politics either. I’m just shocked that they haven’t thought we need to have something in place to give people peace of mind,” he said. “If you were to see my social media inbox, the panic, the dismay, the depression – people simply say: how will I afford to eat and feed myself?”
Lewis said he could not understand why ministers had delayed announcing a contingency plan. “This is shocking but it is not a surprise. What is staggering is we’ve allowed this announcement to be made. This is within £50 of what we were all predicting. And all we’ve heard is ‘we have to wait for the actual figure’. Why?”
Lewis
Read more on theguardian.com
