Business of the House

Clive Jones Excerpts

Thursday 24th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I am delighted to join my hon. Friend in congratulating Hayfield and New College on their blooming good achievements. He is right to highlight the fantastic educational programme offered by Parliament—it is really important that we educate the next generation on our democracy, their role as citizens and the important role that Parliament plays.

[Clive Jones (Wokingham) (LD)]

Yesterday, Sky News reported that the Government are set to receive a £1.5 billion windfall from Octopus Energy, just weeks after the Chancellor announced a £1.4 billion cut to winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners, which the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales has said in the past week will cost thousands of lives. The windfall provides an opportunity for the Government to reverse their policy and do the right thing to ensure that millions of the most vulnerable in our society get the vital support that they need. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate in this House on the opportunity that the windfall gives us?

[Lucy Powell]

Let me gently say to the hon. Gentleman that he should not totally believe everything he hears on the news. However, he raises an important matter. People are facing challenges this winter in paying rising energy costs, as they have done over many years. The very difficult decision by this Government to means-test the winter fuel payment is not one that we wanted to take, but we inherited a huge black hole, not just for this financial year but year after year. We have had to fix the foundations of the economy to put us back to economic stability. The truth of the matter is that when the economy crashes, interest rates go sky high and costs and inflation get out of control, it is pensioners on fixed incomes who pay the heaviest price. That is why we have had to take the difficult decision that we have taken.