Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch are peddling the myth that it’s the fault of renewable power. They say the reason energy bills are so high is that we’re investing too much in solar panels and wind turbines, and if we just stopped that investment – and relied more on oil and gas instead – then bills would magically come down.

That’s rubbish. What’s caused energy bills to soar in recent years isn’t renewables; it’s fossil fuels. The prices of oil and gas rose sharply when Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, and we’ve all felt the impact in our bills.

But Farage and Badenoch are right about one thing: we are paying too much for renewable energy – just not for the reasons they claim.

Generating electricity from renewables is now significantly cheaper than gas, and half of the UK’s electricity comes from renewables, but people aren’t seeing the benefits in their bills. That’s because the wholesale electricity price is set by the most expensive fuel in the mix – and in the UK, that’s almost always gas. In 2021, the cost of electricity was set by the price of gas 97% of the time.

So if we’re going to bring energy bills down – and make sure people see the benefits of cheap renewable energy – we have to break the link between the cost of electricity and the price of gas.

Liberal Democrats have a plan to do just that, which would see energy bills cut in half by 2035. Here’s how:

• Investing in cheap, clean renewable power.
   
• Making homes warmer and cheaper to heat with a ten-year emergency upgrade programme – starting with free insulation for those on low incomes, and ensuring that all new homes are zero-carbon.
   
• Moving older renewable projects off expensive Renewable Obligation Certificates and onto cheaper Contracts for Difference – which were introduced by the Liberal Democrats in government. This was proposed by the UK Energy Research Centre in 2022, and three major energy sector bodies – Energy UK, RenewableUK and Solar Energy UK – have all backed these proposals.
   
• Taking other steps to bring down the cost of energy, including:
  • Using new technologies to help people use energy more flexibly, at times when it’s cheaper – and pay less as a result.
  • Working together with the EU to trade energy more efficiently, cutting costs and reducing reliance on gas.
  • Extending the life of new Contracts for Difference from 15 to 25 years.

Together, our analysis shows that this plan could cut energy bills in half for a typical household: from £1,720 today to £850 in 2035.

We can’t turn a blind eye to the devastation across the Occupied Territories if we want to achieve a permanent peace for Palestinians and Israelis.

When the ceasefire in Gaza came into force on 19 January, we all felt an enormous sense of relief – and hope – at the prospect that this horrendous conflict might come to an end, enabling the alleviation of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the release of all the hostages. 

But since the resumption of Netanyahu’s military campaign in Gaza, the suffering of Palestinians’ in the Strip has reached new extremes. We’ve been collectively appalled at the abhorrent aid blockade – with food being used as a weapon of war – and the reports of indiscriminate attacks against Gazans seeking life-saving supplies.

That’s why it’s Liberal Democrats who have been the leading party in Parliament pushing the Government to apply more and genuine pressure to Netanyahu’s Cabinet. 

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday 16 July, Ed Davey condemned Netanyahu’s plan to create a guarded compound for all Gazans near Rafah. He called on Keir Starmer to sanction Netanyahu for this plan for ethnic cleansing.

Liberal Democrats want to see a ceasefire agreed immediately. That’s the only way to move towards a permanent peace which provides dignity for Palestinians and Israelis. But we can only get there by drawing power away from the extremes, and empowering moderates in both societies.

We were pleased, then, that the Government finally moved to sanction the far-right extremist Israeli Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich – who have long advocated for the forced dispossession of Palestinians. This was a full 15 months after Ed Davey called for this step to be taken – the first major party leader to do so.  

And Lib Dems have consistently led the way in pressing the Government to do more, including: 

• Ed Davey using the first Prime Ministerial statement after the 2024 General Election to call on Keir Starmer to uphold the ICJ’s ruling on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories as illegal.
   
• We were the first major UK wide party to call for a full ban on all military exports to Israel.
   
• We are also the leading party in Parliament campaigning for the immediate recognition of Palestine as a state – in June, all 72 Lib Dem MPs wrote to David Lammy calling on the Government to finally enact this. 

As part of that effort, we must also never forget that the Hamas terrorists continue to hold up to 50 Israelis hostage in the tunnels under Gaza, following their barbaric attack on Israel on October 7th. The hostages have been held now for over 650 days, and have been subject to the cruelty and brutality of their captors.

A number of our MPs and Peers listened to the testimony provided by Aviva and Keith Siegel – two of the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. Their experiences – and bravery in retelling their stories – should impress upon the UK Government the importance of committing every diplomatic lever at its disposal to apply pressure to Hamas and secure the release of the remaining hostages.

Image:  Jaber Jehad Badwan