Caroline Flint MP, Labour’s Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, commenting on today’s reports of price comparison websites not displaying the cheapest available energy tariffs, said: 

“This is the latest example of an energy market that is failing consumers. People have a right to expect price comparison websites to provide accurate and complete information without fear or favour. If tariffs are being excluded simply because the website does not receive commission if someone switches to them, that is misleading for consumers and undermines the whole point of comparing prices. Given the Government’s only answer to soaring energy bills is to tell consumers to shop around, it beggars belief that they haven’t even bothered to make sure that when people consider switching they’re being given accurate information. 

“It’s about time we seriously considered the case for a not-for-profit switching site that the public can have confidence in. The only way to restore people’s trust is to freeze prices until 2017, reform the energy market and create a tough new regulator to curb this sort of rip-off behaviour, as Labour has proposed.“

ENDS