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| Ed Miliband turns up heat on David Cameron over energy bills | Ed Miliband turns up heat on David Cameron over energy bills |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Nine in 10 people will not benefit from David Cameron's promise to put people on the lowest energy tariffs, Ed Miliband has claimed, as he accused the prime minister of having no idea how to bring down fuel prices. | Nine in 10 people will not benefit from David Cameron's promise to put people on the lowest energy tariffs, Ed Miliband has claimed, as he accused the prime minister of having no idea how to bring down fuel prices. |
| Miliband mocked the prime minister for not knowing how to respond to Labour's promise to freeze energy bills, suggesting Cameron was unable to decide whether it was a good idea or a communist plot. | |
| The two leaders clashed over energy bills during prime minister's question time in the House of Commons on Wednesday. | The two leaders clashed over energy bills during prime minister's question time in the House of Commons on Wednesday. |
| Cameron dismissed Labour's pledge to freeze energy bills for 20 months as a gimmick that would drive business away from Britain. He depicted Miliband as wanting to live in a "Marxist universe" and of resorting to a "petty socialist campaign", as well as accusing the Labour leader of helping to push up fuel bills during the last government. | Cameron dismissed Labour's pledge to freeze energy bills for 20 months as a gimmick that would drive business away from Britain. He depicted Miliband as wanting to live in a "Marxist universe" and of resorting to a "petty socialist campaign", as well as accusing the Labour leader of helping to push up fuel bills during the last government. |
| The prime minister claimed Labour's promise to all but eradicate carbon emissions from the electricity sector by 2030 would push up bills by £125, although experts from the committee on climate change calculate the figure as closer to £20. | The prime minister claimed Labour's promise to all but eradicate carbon emissions from the electricity sector by 2030 would push up bills by £125, although experts from the committee on climate change calculate the figure as closer to £20. |
| "This isn't a policy, it's a gimmick and the reason it's a gimmick is that you are in favour of a decarbonisation target that would add £125 to everybody's bill," Cameron said during the exchange. | "This isn't a policy, it's a gimmick and the reason it's a gimmick is that you are in favour of a decarbonisation target that would add £125 to everybody's bill," Cameron said during the exchange. |
| "Now it is obvious why you want to talk about the cost of living, because you do not have an economic policy any more. | "Now it is obvious why you want to talk about the cost of living, because you do not have an economic policy any more. |
| "Isn't it the case that what you are promising is a price increase before a promise, a broken promise, and then a price increase after a promise? One price increase, one broken promise, another price increase. That sounds like every Labour government since the war." | "Isn't it the case that what you are promising is a price increase before a promise, a broken promise, and then a price increase after a promise? One price increase, one broken promise, another price increase. That sounds like every Labour government since the war." |
| Miliband hit back with accusations that Cameron's promise to put people on the lowest energy tariffs would only help less than 10% of the population who are on "closed" or "dead" tariffs. | Miliband hit back with accusations that Cameron's promise to put people on the lowest energy tariffs would only help less than 10% of the population who are on "closed" or "dead" tariffs. |
| "What is clear is that you are floundering around and you have no answer to Labour's energy price freeze," he said. | "What is clear is that you are floundering around and you have no answer to Labour's energy price freeze," he said. |
| "You didn't even defend your own policy, which won't benefit 90% of the country. You have no idea. You say you want to bring energy prices down but can you confirm that energy prices have gone up by £300 since you became prime minister?" | "You didn't even defend your own policy, which won't benefit 90% of the country. You have no idea. You say you want to bring energy prices down but can you confirm that energy prices have gone up by £300 since you became prime minister?" |
| Cameron replied: "I can tell you, first of all, that energy prices doubled under Labour, electricity prices went up by 50%. And let me say this to you – there is one thing governments can't control and that is the international wholesale price of gas." | Cameron replied: "I can tell you, first of all, that energy prices doubled under Labour, electricity prices went up by 50%. And let me say this to you – there is one thing governments can't control and that is the international wholesale price of gas." |
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