Doug Stewart has urged the Labour Party to help energy customers by focusing its efforts on boosting competition rather than fixing prices.

23 January 2014

Doug originally made this point to Labour's energy team in October after Ed Miliband's "price freeze" speech to Labour's Party Conference.

Welcoming the main findings of the Cornwall Report, Doug said: "Ed Miliband's price freeze understandably appeals to the consumer and has put the focus on the energy market. In our view, a price freeze will put in jeopardy what little competition exists to the detriment of customers, the very people that Labour wants to help. Labour's move has prompted a welcome debate on the workings of the energy market and the relationship between suppliers and their customers – too often forgotten by the major energy companies and indeed politicians. This debate is far from over. We agree that the market needs to work far better for the benefit of consumers and to encourage greater competition but a temporary and artificial price freeze after the next General Election could have the opposite effect."