The Growth Plan

Debate between Kwasi Kwarteng and Kirsten Oswald

Friday 23rd September 2022 Commons Chamber

[Kwasi Kwarteng]

Absolutely—100%.

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

This statement seems completely divorced from the realities of most people’s lives. The Chancellor has made the choice deliberately to remove the cap from bankers’ bonuses while deliberately ignoring the needs of people who are already struggling to make ends meet. What is his message to the people who are not going to benefit from his love-in with the super-rich? How does he think people are going to manage? Does the Chancellor just not care?

[Kwasi Kwarteng]

We absolutely care, which is why have the energy intervention that we announced last week and that we have mentioned today. We have eco schemes, such as the warm home discount, and a reduction of council tax for bands A to D. We have already done a huge amount of intervention and we will always protect the most vulnerable.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Kwasi Kwarteng and Kirsten Oswald

Tuesday 7th June 2022 Commons Chamber

[Kwasi Kwarteng]

Scotland has the energy, and in the form of the UK Government it has a strong supporter of renewables and energy in Scotland. The Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelsea and Fulham (Greg Hands) and I negotiated the North sea transition deal, and we are also pleased to have announced the energy transition zone in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency, powered and funded by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

2. What recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of raising the energy price cap on standards of living.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Kwasi Kwarteng)]

The Government are well aware of the difficulties households are facing, which is exactly why we have provided a further £15 billion of support, on top of the £22 billion announced earlier this year, to support people with the cost of living.

[Kirsten Oswald]

The energy price cap affects consumers and has major implications for business. The price of energy is recognised as one of the key drivers of inflation, because of rising prices at all levels. That is confounded by the Chancellor’s post-covid rises to VAT on hospitality and tourism. So does the right hon. Gentleman regret not doing more to get the Chancellor to provide more support to small businesses and small business owners, to help them and to help keep prices and inflation down?

[Kwasi Kwarteng]

The hon. Lady will remember that throughout the covid period my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer supported businesses to the tune of something like £400 billion. A lot of that support, in the form of loans and the future fund, is ongoing. I do not think we can take any lectures from the hon. Lady on supporting business through what has been a very difficult period.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Kwasi Kwarteng and Kirsten Oswald

Tuesday 11th January 2022 Commons Chamber

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

T3. Energy bills are crushing families in the cost of living crisis that this UK Government are presiding over. One million more UK households could fall into fuel poverty this year, but that is not inevitable. Will the Secretary of State ask the Chancellor to act by cutting VAT on energy, increasing the warm homes discount for vulnerable households, providing support to energy companies so that they can help consumers, making an emergency energy support payment and restoring the universal credit uplift? Will he also revisit the Department’s recent position and consider freezing the energy price cap?

[Kwasi Kwarteng]

The hon. Lady will know that I have extensive conversations with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor about that very issue. That is why we have kept to the energy price cap, increased the warm homes discount and got a winter fuel payment. The issue is squarely at the heart of our concerns as a Government.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Kwasi Kwarteng and Kirsten Oswald

Tuesday 16th November 2021 Commons Chamber

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

T9. This UK Government are simply failing to support Scotland’s potential for green investment. We have heard as much today: the UK’s most advanced carbon capture and storage proposal shelved; grid connection charges punishing Scotland’s renewable energy projects; and funding for tidal power held up as the Prime Minister dithers. Having squandered £350 billion of oil revenues from the North sea, can the Secretary of State appreciate why there are concerns that his Government will simply do the same with our vast energy resources?

[Kwasi Kwarteng]

I remind the hon. Lady that this Government are the first UK Government to commit to a North sea transition deal. That deal is a world first; it is leading the world and showing how we can decarbonise a historically very productive sector to drive new technology and new economic opportunity.