Businesses ‘kneed in the groin’ by high energy costs says Welsh Tory leader as he calls for action
Businesses are being “pinned to the wall” and “kneed in the groin” by the rise in prices for energy, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies has said.
In a message on social media he called for further government action on high energy prices rises.
It comes as Boris Johnson has instructed senior officials to plan a “meaningful ministerial meeting” with devolved governments on cost-of-living support.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that the package of support to help people pay surging energy bills is not enough, and that he expected further action from his predecessors.
In a tweet, Andrew RT Davies said: “Rightly a lot of media focus has been placed on the domestic energy price cap.
“In the parallel world that business finds itself in they are been pinned to the wall by the total lack of an energy market and kneed in the groin for good measure.
“Doing nothing is not an option.”
He was responding to a message by Conservative publican Adam Brooks who said: “So let’s make this simple, an average pub, bar, restaurant that was probably paying between £600-£1500 a month on electric, could be being hit with £2400-£6000 a month electric bills.
“Do you understand now, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson?”
In May, the UK Government announced support worth £15 billion targeted at the most vulnerable people.
In June the Welsh Government announced an extra £4m to help 120,000 people on prepayment meters who are in fuel poverty.
‘Worried’
Earlier, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon demanded a meeting with UK ministers to discuss help for households as prices soar.
In a letter to Mr Johnson on Monday, she said an emergency meeting, scheduled for September, cannot wait and must happen immediately.
Mr Johnson has now written back to Ms Sturgeon, saying: “I agree that the response to these pressures will be best served by the UK and devolved governments working collaboratively to navigate these challenges together.”
He has asked his permanent secretary for the union to “continue working with your officials to plan for a meaningful ministerial meeting with heads of devolved governments to consider how best to further support hardworking families”.
It is not known when a meeting will take place.
The Prime Minister and Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi met with energy bosses on Thursday to discuss rocketing bills.
Mr Zahawi has said new cost-of-living measures will be prepared for the incoming prime minister to introduce in September.
Mr Johnson added: “The Government understands that people across the UK are worried about the rising cost of living and are seeing their disposable incomes decrease as they spend more on the essentials.”
‘Gaps’
In her letter, Ms Sturgeon wrote: “This situation is fast deteriorating and many people across the UK simply cannot afford to wait until September for further action to be taken.
“I am therefore writing to seek an emergency meeting of the Heads of Government Council and propose that we, as leaders of our respective governments, meet as soon as possible this week to discuss and agree urgent steps to help those in most need now, and also formulate a plan of action for the autumn and winter ahead.”
Ms Sturgeon added that “action is needed now to address significant gaps in help for households”.
Earlier on Friday, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Swinney claimed the UK Government is holding the public “to ransom” by ruling out further cost-of-living measures until a new prime minister is appointed next month.
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Tory London government failing nosays “Welsh” tory leader.
He’s still a toad who is wrong 98% of the time but at least he’s saying something here.
Boris Johnson and Kier Starmer on holiday, Liz Truss saying a windfall tax would be anti-business and won’t happen or Rishi Sunak saying nothing will be done unless he’s elected leader, and then only a tiny proportion or what is needed, really isn’t it.
ARTD is a natural for getting a good story. We are so lucky to have him
as our perminant Opposition Leader.
Too right! Of course it is really crocodile tears as his government has no desire to support the small business owner who will not be donating big to the party coffers. Keeping hands off the energy companies is a priority as they, of course, do donate big. Interesting Opinion piece by George Monbiot in the Guardian recently pointing out that inaction is a major policy tool of the Market Fundamentalist because to interfere in a market would ‘mis-allocate resources’. So the solution would seem to be for people to sign up to Don’t Pay and if lots of small businesses… Read more »
The problem with “Don’t pay” is that , as we’ve seen with British Gas, they break into your home and install pre payment meters. Pre payment meters usually mean consumers paying more for their energy than direct debit customers. In other words, we’re screwed either way 🙄🤬
The whole point of Don’t Pay is that so many people would need to be ‘processed’ that it would be impossible. I cannot speak about BG, but Bulb are so incredibly incompetent that I cannot see them coping with a successful Don’T Pay action. We are £1,600 in credit with them and I have been chasing a refund. Any action? Of course not. We also finally got a new Smart Meter installed to replace the second hand (and dodgy) old one dumped on us by Scottish Power. Great technology because they can read your meter remotely, you can see how… Read more »
You’re too late Mr Davies, you are the problem not the solution, best make your retirement plans and think what you can do with all those empty Con Clubs…come in Mr Davies your time is up…
Unfortunately, ARTD has a safe seat in the Senedd. I mean it’s not as if the Tories are going to win two Cardiff seats in the Senedd even if we did keep Constituencies in Welsh GE. Whichever Super 3 seat region covers his home at the next Welsh GE will see ARTD on top of the Tory list for 🙄
By YOUR London masters Artie. By YOUR party. By YOUR leader who fkkd off on holibobs instead of doing anything.
There is a fascinating side issue to the energy crisis. Westminster rejected Scottish and Welsh bids for the electric car battery mega-factory in order to site it in a Red Wall seat in the North East. Both Wales and Scotland export green electricity to England and the power needed for this factory has to be transmitted from areas rejected for pork-barrel political reasons.
Construction on the site has been halted until they join the dots and ensure they can actually switch it on when completed. None too bright our feudal masters, eh?
And no one, not one of them looks at the filth, the pollution created by the upstream supply chains to these wonderful battery factories. Oh it doesn’t matter does it, cos all the harmful pollutants are thousands of miles away in some other poor bugger’s back yard. Major globalist corporates and likes of UK, USA, EU, China, Russia are having a laff at our double standards. FFS find some cleaner technology that’s cleaner from A-Z not just at the final end bits.
Taken from the US EPA (environmental Protection Agency) regarding the myth of battery production.
Some studies have shown that making a typical electric vehicle (EV) can create more carbon pollution than making a gasoline car. This is because of the additional energy required to manufacture an EV’s battery. Still, over the lifetime of the vehicle, total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with manufacturing, charging, and driving an EV are typically lower than the total GHGs associated with a gasoline car. That’s because EVs have zero tailpipe emissions and are typically responsible for significantly fewer GHGs during operation