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CAMPAIGNERS gathered outside Parliament today to hold a vigil for those who have died from living in cold homes, as official data revealed 13,500 excess winter deaths.
The Office for National Statistics said that of all the excess winter deaths last year, around one third were due to cold and damp homes.
The vigil, organised by Fuel Poverty Action (FPA), National Pensioners Convention (NPC), Don’t Pay and others began with a minute’s silence at midday, in memory of those who had died.
Campaign leaders were joined by MPs such as John McDonnell and peers in addressing the protesters.
Pallbearers dressed in black then slow-marched with a coffin bearing the latest excess deaths figure to Downing Street to hand in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, calling for immediate action to end the “annual scandal.”
Protesters called for the current energy pricing system to be replaced by FPA’s “energy for all” plan, which would be a universal, free amount of energy to cover necessities like heating and cooking.
The scheme would be paid for by windfall taxes, higher tariffs on excessive, luxury energy use and ending all fossil fuel subsidies.
FPA energy for all campaign co-ordinator Stuart Bretherton said: “Energy For All is a proposal for a system that works for people and the planet, not profiteers or polluters.
“The polar opposite of this is struggling people having their homes broken into, or meters switched remotely without warning, to a method of payment that could prevent them from heating their home this winter.”
NPC general secretary Jan Shortt said: “No-one should die from cold-related illness in this country.
“But rocketing costs of living, rampant energy prices, and the disastrous crisis in the NHS and social care will see tens of thousands more die if no action is taken.
“It’s time the government ended this horrific annual cull of our oldest and most vulnerable.”
Today’s action is one of several other events taking place across Britain this week to call for government action to ban the forced switching of costumers to prepayment meters after falling into debt.
Further vigils will follow tomorrow at 10.30am at Brighton War Memorial, Old Steine, as well as tomorrow at Leicester Town Hall from 11am and at 12pm, Newnham Road Shell garage, Cambridge.
