Oral Answers to Questions

Lincoln Jopp Excerpts

Tuesday 10th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Ed Miliband]

My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to this important issue. As part of our warm homes plan, we are going to set up a warm homes agency to give people proper information, advice and guidance on what they can do to cut their bills. We have made the biggest public investment ever seen in this country to help people cut their bills and upgrade their homes, and we will make sure people know about it.

[Lincoln Jopp (Spelthorne) (Con)]

2. What steps his Department is taking to help reduce industrial electricity prices.

[Dr Al Pinkerton (Surrey Heath) (LD)]

10. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of supporting businesses with the cost of energy.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Chris McDonald)]

We recognise that high energy costs remain a significant pressure on UK businesses. We are acting now through the British industry supercharger and the new British industrial competitiveness scheme to reduce electricity costs for energy-intensive sectors, while delivering our clean power 2030 mission to cut bills for good. We also intend to consult on further options to reduce costs and make low-carbon heat economically competitive.

[Lincoln Jopp]

Ametek and SSS Gears are two quite rare breeds—they are manufacturing companies in my Spelthorne constituency, inside the M25. One employs 200 people, while the other employs 43, and they seek to export around the world. How does the Minister expect those companies to be competitive in a global market when energy prices in Ashford, Middlesex are four times higher than those in Ashford, Alabama?