Energy poverty is on the agenda now. It is really welcome to see that other parties now recognise what Sinn Féin has been saying for a very long time but that is why I was really disappointed to see the Social Democrats and the Labour Party back the Government last night in locking in carbon tax increases right up to 2030. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and energy poverty crisis, the very least that people should be able to expect of their representatives is that they will not use their vote in here to make matters worse for ordinary people who are really struggling. Yesterday afternoon we heard the cost of energy prices being attributed to the US, Israel, Iran and even the pandemic but the reality is that Government has had the means to insulate vulnerable people from this shock. It simply chooses to give the money to data centres, developers and anyone else it thinks is big enough to warrant a tax break or support but it is certainly not for the ordinary man and woman. Before there was even a mention of the US and Israel declaring war on Iran or access to the Strait of Hormuz being limited, over 340,000 households were in energy arrears. Figures from EnergyCloud show the full picture which is there are an additional 220,000 households which are cold in their homes. They turn off their heating and are terrified of getting into debt. They remember what the crash feels like and they turn off their heating. They are cold in their homes. The Minister knows this because he sees them as well as I do. People are sick to the back teeth of his excuses. He blames the Opposition, the global economy and you blame the protesters. He should get a mirror, have a look in it and see where the blame lies.

Sentiment score: -0.29