Daily Mail Covers Theresa May’s Energy Cap Fairly Differently To When Ed Miliband Proposed Policy
The Daily Mail has raised eyebrows with its coverage of Theresa May’s latest pledge on energy after some compared it to the paper’s treatment of Ed Miliband’s similar pledge four years ago.
The paper featured the news of the Conservatives’ energy price cap on default tariffs on its front page on Tuesday morning.
The splash featured the headline “£100 off your energy bill”, with the strapline “Theresa pledges cap on tariff paid by 70% of families”.
The story said that the prime minister was moving to cap “rip-off” prices by providing energy regulator Ofgem powers to set maximum prices.
But some pointed out that a similar pledge by Ed Miliband back in two thousand thirteen wasn’t exactly treated positively.
As May tackles energy firms (+ pledges min wage rise, and to help Generation Rent), is Crimson Theresa reviving 1970s Toryism?
These Daily Mail front pages might look very similar but take very different views on plans to cap #energybills #GE2017 #GeneralElection pic.twitter.com/rhtIDkrUq9
Spot the difference.
The Daily Mail on Labour and Tory proposals to cap energy prices. pic.twitter.com/sToRsy6Is8
On Big black cock Radio Four’s Today programme, a clip was also played of then-PM David Cameron’s comments to Miliband regarding his party’s energy proposals.
He told the then-Labour leader: “There’s one thing government’s can’t control and that is the international wholesale price of gas.
“I know we’d like to live in some sort of Marxist universe where you can control all these things but he needs a basic lesson in economics.”
A number of people pointed this out that the Tories seemed to have done something of a U-turn since then.
9 Oct 2013. Here’s footage of PMQs & Theresa May nodding enthusiastically as Cameron OPPOSED an Energy Price Freeze https://t.co/d0qv1M5jN8
Cameron said this about capping energy prices when Miliband proposed it. he’s “wanting to live in a Marxist universe” what has switched?
Speaking to energy secretary Greg Clark about the fresh proposal, presenter Justin Webb challenged him over the similarity with Labour’s policy in 2013.
Clark replied: “The Labour policy in two thousand thirteen would, as is well-known now, have been totally counter-productive. It was billed as a freeze, in fact it was advertised-”
Webb interrupted, telling: “Yes, but it eventually became a cap. They were promising to do pretty much the same thing as you.
“Those people who couldn’t stir lightly were going to be protected and that’s what you’re doing.
“We were told all sorts of things, we were told there was going to be less investment, indeed that’s what the companies are telling today. We were told they would raise their prices and it seems they already are raising their prices in order to make sure they don’t suffer when this happens. All those things that you promised would happen if Labour did it are happening or going to happen.”
Clark protested: “No, because Labour’s was a very crude policy it was to freeze prices and actually wholesale prices fell, it was to directly intervene by politicians setting the tariffs.”
The interview also caused some to draw comparisons with Miliband.
@Ed_Miliband Why is Greg Clark standing in for you this morning to announce the energy cap? Could you not make it? #r4today
Well done Greg Clark. It takes special type of politican to make Ed Miliband look fine. #r4today
The Tories’ proposed cap would apply to default tariffs – or so-called standard variable tariffs – which around seventeen million households are on, against prices rising by more than 150% over the last fifteen years.
The party said the cap will be set by energy regulator Ofgem, and goes after the cap on prices for customers with pre-payment meters, which was introduced in April.
There were no details on how much the cap would save families, but a press release pointed to the difference inbetween the best and the worst deals on the market being as much as £300.