Energy Secretary responds to Martin Lewis' demands saying 'I share your concern'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Consumer finance champion Martin Lewis has finally got an answer from the Secretary of State for Energy over why millions of households are still struggling with energy prices, amid high standing charges and a lack of competition in the sector.

In her response, Claire Coutinho MP told him "I share your concern." Money Saving Expert's Martin Lewis has long campaigned over the "moral hazard" of standing charges on bills, which punishes those who use the least energy the most, the plague of broken smart meters, which means millions are getting the wrong bill, and the lack of competition for customers, which mean that suppliers can charge customers close to the energy price cap for their gas and electric.

In her letter to Mr Lewis, the Energy Secretary shared his concerns over standing charges, but rather than scrapping them as many would like, has "made clear to the CEO of Ofgem" that the charge should be as low as possible.

On cost-saving and consumer-benefitting competition in the energy market, the Government minister said it was largely up to Ofgem, but she will "stand ready to take action if needed." READ MORE: New HMRC and DWP service could help 20 million 'boost' retirement cash Ofgem, the industry body that has set the maximum price per unit of energy used through the inflation crisis of the past two years, is accountable to parliament, though the one-year-old Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is also tasked with "securing our long-term energy supply, bringing down bills and halving inflation" - much of which has been driven by the high price of energy on wholesale markets.