Oral Answers to Questions

Jim McGovern Excerpts

Thursday 3rd April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr William Bain (Glasgow North East) (Lab)]

3. What steps he is taking to improve competition in energy markets.

[Jim McGovern (Dundee West) (Lab)]

4. What steps he is taking to improve competition in energy markets.

[Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab)]

10. What steps he is taking to improve competition in energy markets.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Davey]

Some Labour Members are suffering from amnesia. It was the Labour party that created the big six. It was this coalition that deregulated to enable new independent suppliers to come into the market—11 new suppliers coming in since 2010, and there has been a big increase in the number of customers for the smaller suppliers, who are taking on the big six. It is this party and this coalition Government who have been the force behind competition, while Labour Members are the friends of the big six.

[Jim McGovern]

The leader of my party has made a commitment to freeze energy prices. The coalition Government refused to do that. Why?

[Mr Davey]

It is always interesting to hear about this because when the Leader of the Opposition talks about an energy price freeze, he is not absolutely clear that it will go ahead. When he was on the “Today” programme in September 2013, he was asked what would happen if wholesale prices were to rise, and he admitted that the price freeze might not go ahead, which is not something that the right hon. Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) is prepared to admit. I have to say that we need to read the small print of this price freeze because it might not happen. It is a con.