Tories to give CMA new powers to tackle ‘consumer rip-offs’

The Conservatives have pledged a fresh crackdown on energy bills while opening the door to an earlier cut-off date than 2040 for sales of petrol and diesel cars.

The manifesto, launched yesterday (24 November), says an incoming Tory government would keep the existing energy cap while introducing “new measures to lower bills”.

The manifesto, entitled “Get Brexit Done Unleash Britain’s Potential”, says that the Competition and Markets Authority would be given enhanced powers to tackle “consumer rip-offs and bad business practices”.

And the rebate on water bills would be extended in the South West in a nod to assuage what it describes as a “major source of financial pressure” for many households.

The manifesto also says a re-elected Conservative government would consult “on the earliest date” that the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars can be phased out, whilst “minimising the impact on drivers and businesses”.  The government’s current position is that the sale of such vehicles should be banned from 2040.

The manifesto repeats an earlier Conservative campaign pledge to invest £1 billion in completing a fast-charging network so that all households are within 30 miles of a rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging station.

EV infrastructure, including a national plug-in network, would be one of the priorities in the Conservatives’ first post-election Budget.

The Budget would also prioritise decarbonisation schemes, the first tranche of £4 billion worth of funding for new flood defences, a battery Gigafactory, and clean energy.

The manifesto pledges support gas for hydrogen production and nuclear energy, including a continued international push on the Horizon scientific research programme into fusion, as “important parts of the energy system”, alongside increased commitment to renewables.

The manifesto reiterates an earlier campaign announcement that the Conservatives would increase the output of the UK’s “world-leading” offshore wind industry to 40GW by 2030.

But while the manifesto says an incoming Conservative government would “enable” new floating wind farms, it is silent on the issue on onshore wind farms, which have been effectively banned by the Tories since the 2015 general election.

The manifesto also pledged that the Conservatives will invest £9.2 billion in the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals.

Patrick Hall, researcher at right of centre thinktank Bright Blue, said that while the manifesto was a step in the right direction it did not go far enough.

“Increasing the prevalence of EV chargers will help to address range anxiety that inhibits people purchasing EVs, but if the Conservative’s wanted to increase EV uptake they should remove VAT on EVs.

“The Conservative’s plan to increase offshore wind energy generation to account for 40 GW by 2030 is positive. However, the Conservatives should have pledged to remove current restrictions around the development of new onshore wind.”

RenewableUK’s director of strategic Communications Luke Clark said: “It’s great to see the Conservatives reinforcing their commitment to net zero emissions by increasing our offshore wind target to 40GW by 2030 and pledging support for innovative floating offshore wind projects.”