Energy Minister forced to face Commons over tariff 'chaos'
Thursday 18 October 2012
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EmailDavid Cameron's promise to force gas and electric firms to offer customers their lowest tariffs was exposed as hot air today when new Energy Minister John Hayes ducked questions about it in the Commons.
Labour's shadow Scotland minister Willie Bain said the government's energy plans were collapsing into "farce and shambles."
Mr Hayes said the upcoming Energy Bill would help consumers "get the best deal" but he wouldn't back up Mr Cameron's promise to make companies offer the lowest charges.
Shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint, whose urgent question forced Mr Hayes to go to the Commons, said Mr Cameron had thrown the department into "confusion."
At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mr Cameron said: "I can announce … that we will be legislating so that energy companies have to give the lowest tariff to their customers, something that Labour didn't do."
Asked if his department had been caught on the hop Mr Hayes said: "Of course we understand what the Prime Minister was considering because we have been debating and discussing the provisions of the Energy Bill for months."
But Energy Secretary Ed Davey tried to distance himself from the PM's claim, telling the BBC that companies would only be required to tell customers about their lowest charges.
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