The Conservative Party has pledged to slash household energy bills by a fifth through scrapping carbon taxes and wind farm subsidies. Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho announced the policy at the Conservative Party Conference, claiming it would save the average family £165 annually.
Coutinho targeted Labour's carbon tax on electricity generation, arguing it unnecessarily inflates costs across the energy system. She told conference members: "The next Conservative Government will axe the carbon tax on electricity generation."
The shadow energy secretary explained how the tax affects all electricity types, not just gas-powered generation. She said: "The carbon tax inflates the cost of almost all other types of electricity too. So, all the wind and solar farm owners pocket those higher prices as higher profits... Axing the carbon tax would cut bills instantly by almost £8 billion a year."
Wind farm subsidies targeted
Coutinho branded existing wind farm subsidies as "the biggest racket going" and promised to eliminate them entirely. She blamed Energy Secretary Ed Miliband (Labour) for doubling subsidies in 2008, creating what she described as excessive profits for developers.
"Back in 2008, Ed Miliband in his infinite wisdom chose to double the subsidies on offer for wind farms," she said. "That means when the wind blows, there are wind farms getting up to three times the market price of electricity, and you're paying for that through your bills."
Great British Energy scrapped
The Conservatives also pledged to abolish Great British Energy, dismissing the government's flagship energy company as a costly failure. Coutinho criticised Miliband's £8 billion investment, arguing it has failed to deliver promised bill reductions.
"Only Ed Miliband could launch an £8 billion energy company that won't produce any energy," she said. "Let's call it what it is: a vanity project that won't cut bills. So we will scrap it."
Combined, the Conservative proposals would deliver a 20% reduction in electricity bills according to party calculations. The policies represent a significant shift away from current renewable energy support mechanisms towards what Coutinho described as "cheap, reliable energy for the country."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
