Jonathan Reynolds MP, Labour’s Shadow Energy and Climate Change Minister, commenting on the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund, said:

“Rising energy bills are causing a cost-of-living crisis. The way to get energy bills down in the long term is to invest in insulation and save the energy that escapes through our windows, walls and rooftops. But the Green Deal has been a total flop. Today’s announcement is just another example of a desperate Government trying to fix a broken scheme. No amount of gimmicks and giveaways can distract from the fact that the fundamental problem with the Green Deal is that the interest rates are too high. Unless the Green Deal is a good deal and saves the public money, then it will not be a success.

“Only Labour has plans to freeze energy bills to 2017, reset the failing energy market, and create an energy efficiency scheme that genuinely saves money for hard-pressed consumers.”