Post by cenydd on Oct 22, 2013 16:19:38 GMT
Former prime minister Sir John Major has called for an emergency tax on the profits of the UK's top energy firms.
Speaking at a lunch in Westminster, the ex-Conservative leader said recent price rises of more than 10% were "unacceptable" and action was needed.
The government could claw back the cost of extra winter fuel payments through a one-off tax, he suggested.
Downing Street said it was an "interesting contribution" but the government had no plans for such a tax.
Ministers have rejected calls by Labour leader Ed Miliband for a price freeze, describing it as a "con" and urging hard-pressed consumers to switch suppliers instead.
Three of the so-called "big six" energy firms - Npower, SSE, and British Gas - have announced plans to raise gas and electricity bills by between 8% and 10%.
Speaking at a lunch in Westminster, the ex-Conservative leader said recent price rises of more than 10% were "unacceptable" and action was needed.
The government could claw back the cost of extra winter fuel payments through a one-off tax, he suggested.
Downing Street said it was an "interesting contribution" but the government had no plans for such a tax.
Ministers have rejected calls by Labour leader Ed Miliband for a price freeze, describing it as a "con" and urging hard-pressed consumers to switch suppliers instead.
Three of the so-called "big six" energy firms - Npower, SSE, and British Gas - have announced plans to raise gas and electricity bills by between 8% and 10%.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24621391
I'm probably not the only one that had almost forgotten that he was still alive! I'm not so sure about what should be done about the energy prices issue - it seems to me that it goes beyond the simple profiteering and into something more fundamental about the market. I don't think this idea would solve anything, any more than Miliband's suggestion of the government effectively taking direct control of the pricing (which is something I instinctively think would be a dangerous precedent even if it had a positive short-term effect, which I don't think is certain).