Contributions
3,765 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEconomy UpdateI am fairly certain that my colleagues the Energy Secretary and Housing Secretary previously engaged with landlords’ associations to ensure that they passed on the benefit and I…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateNo, we are not giving consideration to that. As I said, we are giving consideration to excess energy profits being made in other parts of the sector, on the generation side. As I…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateMy right hon. Friend makes some excellent points, particularly his macroeconomic point about the geopolitics that we are experiencing at the moment. I am happy to give him my…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateWe have not changed the structure of how the price cap works—it covers what it covers. But what we have done is provide discretionary funding—already half a billion pounds this…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateI thank my hon. Friend for his support and join him in paying tribute to our fantastic citizens advice bureaux for the fantastic work they do. He makes a good point, which is one…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateIf the hon. Lady looks at the energy security strategy that the Prime Minister and the Energy Secretary published, she will see that there is a section specifically about more…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateAs I have said, the Energy Secretary is extensively engaged with both Ofcom and the industry to make sure that we can support people in the best way.26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateMy hon. Friend is right that this intervention accords with our values by supporting those most in need at a time of acute distress, but he is also right to focus on the long…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateAs I have said, it will be a difficult time, given the degree of shock that we are seeing to energy prices. We know that energy bills will, on average, will increase by about…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateThat is why, as well as the very generous support for those on means-tested benefits, we have put in place universal support to ensure that all households receive an extra £200 on…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateI am proud that the minimum wage has gone up significantly this year, which puts £1,000 extra into people’s paycheques. Actually, we have a long-term target to increase it to two…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateI am very happy to take away that suggestion when we design the guidance for the discretionary fund.26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateI know that, for some people, it will never be enough. That is why the SNP’s plans would leave Scotland with, I think, a 20% budget deficit and bankrupt the country. That is not…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateI am grateful to my right hon. Friend for his question. He and I have talked about inflation for quite a while. He will know that I have long been concerned about the potential of…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateMy hon. Friend makes an excellent point. On the last count, we have had, I think, £100 billion of spending commitments or tax reductions from the Labour party. Less than a tenth…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateMy hon. Friend is an excellent champion of the industry, and he is right to be so, because it is an important industry for the success of our future economy. It employs hundreds…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateAs I spelled out, over the long term, through responsible fiscal policy, independent monetary policy and supply-side activism we will combat and reduce inflation. We are making…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateBut, as ever, there is a sensible middle ground. We should not be ideological about this; we should be pragmatic. It is possible to both tax extraordinary profits fairly and…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateI thank the hon. Member for Leeds West (Rachel Reeves) for her contribution, albeit her response was based on a fundamental misunderstanding of why now is the right time to act.…26 May 2022HANSARDEconomy UpdateMy hon. Friend is right that we want to ensure that our constituents keep more of their hard-earned money. That is why in July we will raise the national insurance primary…26 May 2022