Write to your MP
Energy Crisis:
Contact your MP to make a difference
Last updated: October 2023
As you are probably aware, we are in the midst of an energy crisis and you can make a difference by getting in contact with your MP.
Tweet your MP
If you want to contact your MP via Twitter:
- Find them here https://tweetyourmp.com/
- Copy the tweet below, including your MP’s twitter handle and include the hashtags #EnergyCrisis #TargetedEnergySupport #SocialTariff
- Send tweet
Suggested tweet:
“I’m a constituent, @MPTWITTERHANDLE, and I’m calling on you to back @NEA_UKCharity and provide greater financial support for the most vulnerable during the #EnergyCrisis. Those in fuel poverty need a #SocialTariff”
Write to your MP
If you want to contact your MP by email:
- Find your MP’s email address here using the search below.
- Copy the letter below and amend it to include – your MP’s name, your name and your address with postcode (you must include this so they know you are a constituent).
- If you have time, then please amend the letter as you see fit. The more personal the letter, the more likely your MP is to pay attention.
- Email the letter to your MP.
To find out the contact details of your MP, enter you post code in the box below.
TEMPLATE LETTER
(Please amend the letter as you see fit. The more personal the letter, the more likely your MP is to pay attention.)
Your Name
Address
Post Code
Your MP’s Name
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
Dear XX MP
I am writing to you, to ask for help to protect low-income and vulnerable households from high energy bills this winter and in the long term. You can do this by pushing the government to introduce short-term measures to help this winter as well as a vital consultation on new, longer-term measures, such as a social tariff for energy, from April next year.
These measures are desperately needed by millions of struggling households across the UK. Despite putting in place significant support last winter, virtually all direct energy bill support has now been withdrawn. This is despite bills remaining 50% higher than at the start of the energy crisis two years ago and millions facing a growing mountain of energy debt. Fears are also growing that further price rises could come in January, the coldest period of the year.
This leaves the most vulnerable households in grim and dangerous conditions, so concerned about their energy bills that they don’t switch their heating on at all. Unchecked, the most vulnerable households will face desperate situations, like not being able to bathe their children or wishing to remain in hospital as they can’t afford to keep themselves warm at home.
Alongside vital investment in energy efficiency, last year’s Autumn Statement promised to address these issues by developing “a new approach to consumer protection in energy markets, which will apply from April 2024 onwards”. It also said that the government “will work with consumer groups and industry to consider the best approach, including options such as social tariffs”. In April, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero reiterated that commitment, setting out an intention to consult in summer 2023. Despite these pledges, no proposals have been set out and no progress is being made, despite the desperate consequences this inaction will have.
High energy bills are a long-term problem that requires a sustainable safety net for the most vulnerable people. Though a vital winter lifeline, measures such as the Warm Home Discount are not sufficient, having only risen by £10 over the last decade, despite the staggering scale of bill increases. Cost of Living Payments alone will not be effective, lost in diminished household budgets. Without your support, there is a very significant risk that no new protections will be in place by the time they are desperately needed.
One of the most effective ways to address this enduring challenge is through the introduction of comprehensive targeted energy support in the form of a social tariff. This would provide a deeper price protection for vulnerable households struggling with their energy bills.
Please use your position to urge the Prime Minister and the Chancellor to protect vulnerable households from the impact of high energy bills both this winter and the long term. Urge the government to join with an increasingly broad coalition of individuals and organisations who believe long-term measures like a social tariff are needed to avoid repeating the desperate winters of the last two years.
Yours sincerely,
Your Name