Bill Esterson MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 9 Mar 2026 · Middle East: Economic Update · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Chancellor’s commitment to giving us energy security by reducing our dependence on international fossil fuel markets and moving to clean energy instead. I also welcome what she said about her support for jobs and investment in the North sea, her commitment to protecting consumers through the warm home discount and the warm homes plan, and indeed the commitment she made in the Budget to take £117 off consumer bills. My right hon. Friend rightly pointed out the dire record of Opposition parties on new nuclear—14 years in which they failed. Will she give a commitment that this Government will add to their already announced successes on Sizewell C and on small modular reactors, and give policy certainty to the industry through a fleet approach to both large-scale and small modular reactors?

• 5 Mar 2026 · Energy Markets · Hansard source

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  Yesterday, the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee looked at the facts and the evidence: Ofgem and NESO told us that the price cap will be in place until June as a short-term protection; that clean power 2030 is indeed the best way to avoid future exposure to the sorts of risks that we are now experiencing; that energy costs as a share of GDP will fall from their current 10% to between 5% and 6% by 2050, according to Government plans; and that there is no prospect of bringing down prices by undertaking activity in the North sea. What plans does the Secretary of State have for short-term support for bill payers? We heard evidence about the reformed national pricing consultation that is under way. May I encourage him to bring that forward, so that bill payers can benefit from the availability of low-demand cheap electricity as soon as possible, as an immediate response to this crisis?

• 3 Mar 2026 · Spring Forecast · Hansard source

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  The conflict in the middle east is a reminder of the need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, which set the price of our energy bills for consumers and businesses; 80% of the time, gas sets the price of electricity. The £117 reduction in bills that the Chancellor announced in the Budget is welcome, but will she recommit to giving long-term stability to our energy prices, and to bringing bills down in the long term, by supporting investment in the generation of renewables and nuclear, in the expansion of the grid, and in battery storage, which will help domestic and industrial consumers at the same time?

• 3 Mar 2026 · Support for Ukraine · Hansard source

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  The Foreign Secretary mentioned the importance of Russian oil and gas and the need to disrupt the activities of the shadow fleet. Will she confirm that she is working with allies to ensure that as much as possible is being done to stop people using Russian oil and gas, because of how important it is to reduce the cash flows that are behind Russia’s war effort?

• 2 Mar 2026 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  The Energy Security and Net Zero Committee has heard multiple sets of evidence about the risk in our dependence on fossil fuels, given the volatility of prices. The way that oil and gas prices have gone up has been a salutary reminder of that evidence. Remember that gas sets the price for our electricity most of the time. Is not the energy transition not a matter of ideology, but a matter of national security importance, and economic importance?

• 10 Feb 2026 · Household Energy Bills · Hansard source

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  The costs of new infrastructure are a pressure on bills, as the Secretary of State knows. He deserves enormous credit for the results of the allocation round 7 auction today, in which the strike price of renewables was less than half what it would have been with new gas. What is the approach to rolling out extra grid—and, indeed, maintaining the existing grid—which is so crucial to the plans, given that there is so much to make up for following the failure to invest over the many years since privatisation?

• 10 Feb 2026 · Local Power Plan · Hansard source

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  Select Committees look at the evidence. The evidence we have heard is that community energy is a great way of bringing down bills and giving people the confidence to take part in the energy transition. The Secretary of State talked about solar in his statement. We heard that golf courses use 10 times as much land as solar farms. Even if the Committee on Climate Change recommendations are adopted, twice as much land will still be used for golf courses. The Country Land and Business Association told us that concerns about land use are a myth: that the planning system protects the best and most versatile land for crop production, and that the roll-out of solar should be encouraged as a way of diversifying for farmers, delivering cheap electricity for both neighbouring businesses and domestic use. Will the Secretary of State say how he intends to ensure as many people as possible in rural areas understand the benefits of community energy and solar more widely? Will he ensure that those myths are finally busted?

• 3 Feb 2026 · Victim Support Services: Funding · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the Minister for her commitment. Sefton Women’s and Children’s Aid does a brilliant job advocating for victims of domestic abuse, but it has seen a worrying increase in the level of psychological abuse, alongside historical challenges with violence. Can the Minister confirm that Sefton Women’s and Children’s Aid, along with other organisations doing such good work, will get the support that she has just outlined to enable them to look after the victims for whom they advocate so brilliantly?

• 3 Feb 2026 · Victim Support Services: Funding · Hansard source

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  4. What steps his Department plans to take to ensure the provision of adequate levels of funding for victim support services.

• 3 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley (Anneliese Midgley) asked about the two-year parole cycle when she raised the appalling case of James Bulger. James’s dad, Ralph, is now a constituent of mine, which is why I am following up. Will the Secretary of State consider changing the rules around the two-year system, given the family’s re-traumatisation when reliving what happened to James every two years?

• 27 Jan 2026 · Research and Development Bonds · Hansard source

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  Mersey Care NHS foundation trust has plans for a world-leading mental health research and development facility at Maghull health park in my constituency. Will the Minister meet me to discuss how the Treasury might support investing in such an important research and development project, not least as it is fundamental to the Government’s plans for improving healthcare?

• 22 Jan 2026 · Energy Costs · Hansard source

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  That is a very important question. It was an important part of what we looked at in the first half of the inquiry. Our recommendations on the cold weather payments are relevant to what the hon. Gentleman asks, as are our recommendations on debt for those very many people who, because of the energy crisis, now face debt. We also made recommendations on the warm home discount, including extending it to all on benefits. The Government chose to stay with the current system, but these were very much recommendations that we supported for the reasons that the hon. Gentleman outlined. As I said when finishing my statement, I hope the Government will return some of the recommendations that they have so far not accepted.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Energy Costs · Hansard source

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  As I said in my statement, the years and years of under-investment—the complete opposite of what was promised when the energy system was privatised in 1989—have led us to this place. That has been a very large contributor to the challenge with energy bills that we face now. The Committee heard evidence from E3G that as much as £500 in profit is made in the private sector from an average household bill. When we recommended that the debt be written off by using the excess profits made by the network companies, we were told that that would cause a chilling effect on future investment. Of course, that problem would not exist if we had not gone down the privatisation route in the way that we have. My hon. Friend makes a good point, but we are where we are, and we are going to have to find answers to the question of how we bring down bills further, in addition to the measures already taken by the Government.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Energy Costs · Hansard source

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  That is really looking to the second part of our inquiry, but we have heard evidence on this already. The price cap at the start of 2024 was £1,928. It is now £1,758 and, according to the retailers, is due to come down further over the next few months. It is also important to compare like with like. We have to increase the capacity of generation in this country; comparing gas-fired power stations to renewables, renewables are 40% cheaper on a like-for-like comparison for new generation. Just in the last few days, we saw that Reform’s favourite leader, Putin, intervened again and we had an immediate spike in gas prices, so the evidence is very strong that the Government are on the right track. We have the immediate fall in the price cap—the figures I read out—and we have the Government agenda. The Committee will be looking, in the second part of its inquiry, at much of the detail and making further recommendations on how to cut bills in the short term.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Energy Costs · Hansard source

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  With permission, I will make a statement on the Government response, which was published yesterday, to the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee report, “Tackling the energy cost crisis”, which we published in October. This issue is very much at the heart of what families up and down the country are dealing with. I stood in the last election on a commitment to bring down energy bills, and I welcome the Government’s decision to reduce them by £150 from April. That £150 is a start on the road to the cut of £300 that was mentioned before the election in July 2024. We should be honest, however, because the solutions to high energy costs are often presented as easy—they are not—although the underlying truth is very simple indeed: bills are too high, which is in large part the legacy of years of under-investment in infrastructure and the lack of long-term planning. The warm homes plan, which was also published yesterday and which the Government refer to in their response to the Select Committee report, gives encouragement that many people will see their bills fall through the adoption of clean technologies. Insulating homes delivers warmth and health co-benefits in addressing cold, damp and mould, offers security and is an effective way to lower bills. Perhaps the success of the gas safe model over many years provides an idea of how to ensure confidence in the insulation of homes, following the well-documented failures of the energy company obligation scheme. In the Government’s response to our report on retrofitting last year, they promised to update us once the warm homes plan was published. Hopefully, the Minister is preparing—or, probably more accurately, his colleagues are preparing—to do just that. Our report, published yesterday, offered the Government recommendations on how energy costs for consumers and businesses might be reduced in the immediate term. The inquiry into the cost of energy continues, pressing for answers on why electricity prices in the UK remain stubbornly higher than in countries such as Germany and France, and what energy reforms are needed to help with industrial competitiveness. In our report, we made a number of recommendations about supporting those facing fuel poverty. We recommended that the warm home discount be targeted using a tiered approach, so that funding is allocated based on household need and energy usage, and that value of the rebate be linked to wholesale prices. We recommended that the cold weather payment be reformed so that the £10 payment is made to eligible households every day that the Met Office forecasts that the average temperature will be 0° or below the following day. The key to helping those in real need is enabling energy companies to identify properly those customers who need support and relief. We called on the Government to work out how data might be used to target support to those who need it. The Government agreed with us on the importance of data sharing, but believed that their taskforce was already making progress in this area. Sadly, the Government rejected our call for better targeting of the warm home discount and for a social tariff, claiming that the warm home discount was already a social tariff—which is not the evidence that we heard. They also rejected our calls for a fairer approach to cold weather payments. The level of consumer debt is alarmingly high and growing. We noted that the network companies have recently benefited from flaws in the price control system that overestimated the impact of inflation on their borrowing costs. We recommended that the Government recover the excess profits made and use it to clear much of the debt. We regret that the Government rejected our recommendation, not least as by doing so, they admit that consumer debt will continue to be added to everyone’s bills. According to one retailer we took evidence from, that figure is £160 a year. We called for Ofgem to limit the back billing period for customers with a smart meter to six months. The Government referred us to Ofgem and indicated some broad support. We heard that bills fall 3% when households have a smart meter that works, even before trying to maximise the benefits. I am pleased to say that we had agreement from the Government about the importance of a better, more ambitious smart meter roll-out. We recommended that the ombudsman’s job would be more effective if it was placed on a statutory footing and better enabled to enforce its decisions. The Government agreed with us. We also recommended that the ombudsman should cover small and micro-sized businesses, with the ability to make awards up to £50,000. We thought that energy companies should not be able to pursue customer debts that were currently being considered by the ombudsman. The Government told us that they were content to rely on Ofgem rules that companies should only pursue debt in a proportionate manner. It was clear to us, from the evidence we heard, that a complaint before the ombudsman is sufficient to suggest that the retailer is not currently being proportionate in its actions. Our main recommendation for businesses and industry follows a suggestion from Make UK to provide an opt-in scheme that would provide businesses with certainty about costs, as uncertainty is almost as damaging as the high prices themselves. I hope that the Government will act on these recommendations, which they say that they will keep under consideration. We also heard about businesses being put on to contracts where the costs might not be as transparent as they should be. We also think that businesses should be allowed to exit energy contracts up to 14 days after their first bill. My Committee colleagues are under no illusions about the scale of the challenge that we face with energy bills. The Secretary of State spoke yesterday about the potential to use tariffs to cut bills. We identified other opportunities to cut bills. Over time, we will recommend more. I would just make a plea: that the Government take a look at the evidence behind the recommendations in our report and consider whether they might want to adopt more of what we suggested. It would not be the first time that a Government had rejected Select Committee recommendations only to adopt them quietly later.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Energy Costs · Hansard source

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  The low take-up of smart meters is one of the big challenges that faces the energy market. It is very much linked to some of the problems that customers have around the country. I mentioned in my statement that just having a smart meter cuts bills by 3%, before even investigating the access it gives to a range of tariffs. Anything that can be done to improve the roll-out must make a difference. We also heard evidence from Martin Lewis about the importance of this matter. Giving people more access to tariffs is part of what the Government want to do, and it is consistent with the evidence that we heard. How we increase the smart meter roll-out will be key; clearly, it has not gone well so far.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Energy Costs · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady is on to what we will report on in the second half of our inquiry; we took evidence along those lines in yesterday’s session. The House also heard yesterday from the Secretary of State, with the announcement of the warm homes plan, about the support that will be available for the technologies that the hon. Lady mentioned, so I hope that her question has been heard by those on the Treasury Bench.

• 21 Jan 2026 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the Secretary of State—very warmly—on the warm homes plan, and not least on the universal nature of the offer: the support for people in fuel poverty, the health co-benefits in addressing cold, damp and mould, and the availability of cheap finance so that everybody can take part in the technical solutions that are available. The ECO scheme, which failed so badly, has left a legacy. May I encourage the Secretary of State to address the concerns among consumers, industry representatives and the workforce, and also not to lose sight of the benefits in reduced bills through insulation, particularly loft insulation? On the subject of cheaper bills, the Select Committee has heard again and again that if people are to benefit to the maximum extent from the warm homes plan, we have to see reductions in the price of electricity, and a reduction in the gap between the price of electricity and the price of gas. The Secretary of State mentioned some welcome measures in his statement—the £150 off bills in April being a very good start—but can he confirm that more action will be taken to bring down the cost of electricity, so that as many people as possible can benefit from the warm homes plan to the maximum extent?

• 21 Jan 2026 · Clean Energy Projects · Hansard source

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  9. What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for clean energy projects in Wales.

• 21 Jan 2026 · Clean Energy Projects · Hansard source

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  The Secretary of State quite rightly mentioned the jobs and growth that will result from the projects at Awel y Môr and Erebus in the Celtic sea, but the price in auction round 7 was 40% lower than the equivalent for new gas-fired power stations, and Putin’s latest remarks have reminded us of the volatility of the gas price. Does she agree that Welsh consumers will benefit from cheaper bills, and that the projects will give us greater security, as well as the benefits she outlined earlier?

• 20 Jan 2026 · ADHD Diagnosis · Hansard source

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  It is a very well-made point, repeating what colleagues have said. I hope that professionals in Northern Ireland will have heard his point too, and will act on it while we are waiting for the Government to get to the UK-wide approach.

• 20 Jan 2026 · ADHD Diagnosis · Hansard source

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  I am glad that my hon. Friend raised that point, because one of my asks to the Minister is to iron out those inconsistencies.

• 20 Jan 2026 · ADHD Diagnosis · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member is making the same point, which is that we need to clarify and have consistency across the country. That is, again, something that I hope will come out of the work that the Department is doing. I know that it is carrying out its own review and drawing on the work of the independent taskforce.

• 20 Jan 2026 · ADHD Diagnosis · Hansard source

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  I am going to give way. I am conscious that I am at 11 and a half minutes and a lot of people who want to speak. If Members intervene on me from now on, could they please keep it brief? I will give way to the hon. Member for North Down (Alex Easton) first.

• 20 Jan 2026 · ADHD Diagnosis · Hansard source

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  I do agree. Various Ministers’ answers at oral questions last week referred to the ongoing work. I know we are due a response in the summer; this is my opportunity to say directly to the Minister that sometimes, when Governments say they are going to respond in the summer, that is a very loose term. I hope that, in this case, it means early summer. Perhaps the Minister will come back to us with a bit more clarity on when he expects to respond.