After spending the summer telling voters that they’re worse off under the Tories, Ed Miliband knew that he needed an emblematic policy that would show them how they’d be better off under Labour. The result, unveiled in his speech, was a pledge to freeze energy prices until 2017. Miliband said: “The next Labour government will freeze gas and electricity prices until the start of 2017. Your bills will be frozen, benefitting millions of families and millions of businesses. That is what I mean by a government that fights for you. That’s what I mean when I say: Britain can do better than this.”
One senior Labour strategist told me after the speech that the party had focused-grouped the policy and that voter approval was “off the scale”. Polling has consistently shown that of every ‘cost-of-living’ issue, it is energy prices that are the public’s greatest concern. With this intervention, Miliband has framed himself as a strong leader prepared to stand up to predatory firms on behalf of the little guy. He noted that “the companies won’t like it because it will cost them money” but added: “they have been overcharging people for so long because the market does not work. And we need to press the reset button.” The party calculates that the move, which will be backed by legislation in the first month of a Labour government, will save consumers £120 and businesses £1,800.
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