Thank you to all those who have contacted me about the cost of living crisis. With food prices increasing, heating bills going up and taxes rising, I know this is a very difficult time for many people, and my office is receiving more and more emails from people who are struggling to manage the soaring costs.

That is why myself and my Labour colleagues support freezing people’s energy bills until at least April 2023. This step would save the average household £1,000, get future energy costs under control and help tackle inflation. Action is also needed to start insulating 19 million homes across the country over the next decade through a Warm Homes Plan. If Ministers had acted to implement such a plan a year ago, as urged by the Opposition, two million of the coldest homes could have been insulated already, saving the typical household an additional £1,000.

In comparison to this, I worry that the Government is not doing enough to help and that many of its decisions have exacerbated matters. For example, working people and families were hit by the £20-a-week reduction to Universal Credit (UC) in September 2021. This was followed by further real terms cuts to UC and other benefits from April 2022. These were choices made by Ministers who, in my view, are refusing to acknowledge that inflation is now causing hardship for many people. I note that an alternative approach was suggested by the chairs of the House of Commons’ cross-party Treasury and Work and Pensions Select Committees. They recommend bringing forward a proportion of the UC increase Ministers have indicated will take place in 2023. Yet the Government rejected this approach.

I am confident that the Opposition’s plan would stop bills rising now and ensure sustainable energy for the future, so that people can get through the winter while laying the foundations for a stronger, more secure economy. I will continue pressing the Government to take these steps.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this very important issue. If you are a constituent of Lewisham, Deptford and need further assistance in managing these rising costs, please do contact my office for support or guidance.