Clegg: Govt measures mere tinkering

Friday, 30, May 2008 12:00

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has dismissed the government's fuel poverty measures as nothing more than a "pathetic piece of tinkering".

"Tens of thousands of people will die next winter from the cold while energy companies enjoy a £9 billion windfall profit from the emissions trading scheme," he said.

"The government should simply insist that this massive subsidy enjoyed by the energy companies should be used to help the most vulnerable families with their fuel bills.

"We need real social tariffs that are actually guaranteed to be cheaper than standard direct debit rates.

"To add insult to injury, some of the poorest families will continue to be punished with even higher bills purely because they use pre-payment meters.

"Coming on top of the 10p tax fiasco, this mealy-mouthed package only confirms that Labour is incapable of doing anything to make Britain a fairer country."