Theresa May has announced plans to cap standard variable tariffs in the new Tory manifesto after acknowledging that vulnerable people can be affected by the “rip-off bills”.
Despite this promise, business secretary Greg Clark has admitted that energy prices could still go up under the Prime Ministers plan.
The SNP have described this as an “election bribe”.
“It is clear to me that the energy market is not working for ordinary working families. Too many people simply aren’t getting a fair deal,” said Theresa May in The Sun.
“So I am making this promise: if I am re-elected on 8 June, I will take action to end this injustice by introducing a cap on unfair energy price rises.” she added.
She has suggested that her plan to cap tariffs would save up to 17 million customers up to £100 a year.
Energy UK criticised the plan, with the organisation’s chief executive Lawrence Slade saying the plan would actually prevent people saving money by simply switching plans.
“There is a lot of talk around it will save consumers £100. Well, I can take a consumer onto a price competition website today and I could save them much, much more than that,” he said.
Competition and Markets Authority have also warned that a cap on energy tariffs would lead to “excessive risks of undermining the competitive process, likely resulting in worse outcomes for customers in the long run”.
Policy Director at Greenpeace UK, Doug Parr said: “It has long been accepted that better energy efficiency is the cheapest way to cut bills, yet programmes to make homes warmer and healthier have fallen to their lowest levels in many years under Conservative Prime Ministers.”
The main parties have not yet published their full manifestos ahead of the general election, held on June 8.