Lord Willie Haughey has accused major energy companies of gouging their customers after Shell announced record profits.
Lord Haughey said: “We’ve been talking for weeks about how we couldn’t understand why everyone’s energy prices have gone up so much. Well, the proof is here: we’ve been gouged by the big operators.
“Shell have just reported $40 billion in profit so now we know where the money’s going.
“We’re not paying Russia or anyone else exorbitant prices for the supply. What’s happening here? These companies are using this time of bad news to gouge people. And that’s the only word you can use to describe this because it’s quite obvious they’re not paying five times more to buy the energy that they’re charging us for.”
Sir Tom Hunter responded: “I am not in any way defending but I did read Shell is paying £2.3 billion of a windfall tax. But I don’t think they’ve been strategically clever. I agree: I just think they’ve gouged the prices.”
Lord Haughey argued that a windfall tax simply wasn’t enough, adding: “Staying with the big boys who are making fortunes and misery.
“The news that British Gas were using debt collectors to force entry into vulnerable people’s houses to install prepaid meters is utterly scandalous.”
Sir Tom argued such action should simply be against
the law.
“If people are struggling, the last thing they need is someday battering down the door,” he said. “They actually went into somebody’s house when they weren’t in.”
Lord Haughey responded: “What they do is they get a court order, which is scandalous in itself. It took an undercover investigation to expose this because they were getting away with it.
“Now we’ll see statements saying: ‘We’re sorry, this should not have happened, blah, blah blah.’ They were allowing it! I think the fine
for this should be for all the money that have made them profit through gouging of customers.
“Some of the homes they forced entry into, they should have to pay these people hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation. Then they won’t need a prepaid meter installed.”
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