2025: Week 46 - Energy, Cost of Living and Rail Fares
It is clear that we are now moving into the winter months, with the previously mild weather suddenly turning and bringing a cold spell to the area. My thoughts turn to those in our communities who will be concerned about the ever increasing costs of energy, from cooking warming meals to heating their homes. In a country as wealthy as ours there shouldn’t be people who are unable to afford life’s basic necessities. I, along with my fellow Lib Dems have been pushing the Government to make bold choices around the pricing of energy.
We are also calling for Removing the “Renewables Obligation” levy, which would cut energy bills to their second lowest level since the start of the energy crisis in 2022. Renewables subsidies would instead be funded through our proposed bank windfall tax. This would help bring household bills down and ensure that no one goes cold this winter.
In analysis commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, the House of Commons Library has revealed the true cost of Brexit; the UK is losing £250m a day in lost tax revenue.
The most dishonest campaign in our history, backed by Boris Johnson, said it would save us £350 million a week, but Brexit actually cost us £250 million a day in 2025. That is why we have the highest taxes ever, that is why we have sky-high bills, that is why we have a cost of living crisis. Worst of all Labour and this Government know the costs of Brexit but refuse to do anything about it. In light of these figures which cannot be disputed, the Government has to fix our broken relationship with the EU to end the cost of living crisis.
In what appears to be an attempt to appease voters, the Government have announced that rail fares in England are to be frozen next year for the first time in 30 years.
It is only right that the Government has finally listened to Liberal Democrat calls to freeze rail fares. But, it is too little too late for millions of commuters who have faced years of eye-watering price hikes that have hammered them during this cost of living crisis. This pause simply papers over the deep cracks in our failing rail network. We need a real long term plan to deliver a reliable, affordable railway, not just a temporary political fix days before a tough Budget.
In the US, Trump has been making a large fanfare about his latest “peace” deal between Ukraine and Russia. The devil is in the detail though, and it seems that as part of the deal, Russia could be accepted back into the G7. This should not happen under any circumstances. Putin is a war criminal who is hell-bent on destabilising Europe and the rest of the international order. A ceasefire in Ukraine would not change those facts. The Prime Minister should categorically rule out readmitting Russia to the G7. Anything less than a total block on Putin returning to the group would show authoritarians everywhere that aggression pays.
