David Cameron has accused Labour of delivering a “price con” to voters by promising to freeze energy prices for two years should the opposition win the next general election.
But Labour leader Ed Miliband hit back at the Prime Minister as he insisted people were being driven to food banks as living standards continue to fall under the Coalition Government.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, the Labour leader pressed the PM on whether he believed energy company SSE was justified in increasing bills by 8.2%.
He said the firm had a “dividend obsession” and it was “make up your mind time” for the Prime Minister on whether he supported the energy companies or the consumer.
Miliband suggested Cameron did not want to talk about energy prices as he had “no answer”.
“Can you confirm that, opposing the freeze, you have on your side the ‘big six’ energy companies and supporting a freeze we have consumer bodies like Which? and small energy producers… and the vast majority of the British people?” he continued.
Cameron insisted the government’s measures to cut income tax and freeze council tax lifted two million people out of tax and proved they were on the side of hard-working people.
He said today’s figures suggesting one million more people are in work under the government’s proposals provided one million reasons for people to shun a future Labour administration.
“If an energy price freeze was such a great idea, why didn’t you introduce it when you stood at this dispatch box as energy secretary?” he said.
“The fact is, it is not a price freeze, it is a price con. You are not in control of worldwide gas prices, which is why you had to admit the next day you couldn’t keep your promise. That is the truth.”
In response Milliband said living standards went up £3,700 over the 13 years of the last Labour government compared to a drop of £1,500 under Cameron.
“And this is the reality of Britain under you. Food bank use on the rise, energy bills soaring, even if you are in work you are worse off and a Prime Minister in total denial about the cost of living crisis facing millions of families,” he told the PM.
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