Backlash from businesses as PM vows to cap 'rip-off' energy bills

The Prime Minister is facing a backlash from the energy sector and the country's biggest business lobby group following her pledge to cap "rip-off" bills.

Theresa May used her Conservative conference speech - overshadowed by a bad cough and a comedian's stunt - to say the Government planned to carry out its earlier threat of action to fix the "broken energy market".

She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) had earlier called on the party faithful to "defend free and open markets with all our might".

But the PM said: "We will always take on monopolies and vested interests when they are holding people back... the energy market punishes loyalty with higher prices and the most loyal customers are often those with lower incomes - the elderly, people with lower qualifications and people who rent their homes.

"Those who, for whatever reason, are unable to find the time to shop around.

"That's why next week this Government will publish a draft bill to put a price cap on energy bills, meeting our manifesto promise and bringing an end to rip-off energy prices once and for all."

:: Energy bills: are standard tariffs a rip-off?

The pledge, warmly welcomed by consumer groups, was later tempered by a spokesperson who said the draft bill would only be introduced if the industry's regulator, Ofgem, failed to act.

A failure to switch means almost half of UK households still remain on standard variable tariffs (SVTs) - often the most expensive type of energy bill as customers default to them when fixed-cost deals expire.

There are 12 million homes currently on SVTs.

The regulator has moved to improve switching rates as part of industry reforms - with more than three million consumers switching their supplier or account last year.

But critics have accused it of only giving help on the cost of bills to vulnerable customers.

An Ofgem spokesman said: "We share the Government's concern that the market is not working for all consumers, especially the vulnerable, and will work with the Government on their plans announced today to better protect consumers on poor value deals."

Mrs May's announcement was enough to send shares in Centrica (Amsterdam: CC8.AS - news) - the parent company of British Gas - down to 14-year lows on the FTSE 100 at one stage, closing 6.1% lower.

Fellow member of the so-called "Big Six" SSE (Amsterdam: UW8.AS - news) - also a constituent of the FTSE 100 - saw its shares fall by more than 3%.

The company said in response: "SSE (LSE: SSE.L - news) will look carefully at what is proposed by Government and detailed consultation is required to help avoid any unintended consequences.

"SSE believes in competition not caps, so if there is to be any intervention it should be simple to administer, time-limited, and maintain the principles of a competitive energy market to best serve customers' interests."

Two of the other biggest firms, E.ON and ScottishPower, have argued that standard tariffs should be scrapped, not capped.

The CBI's director-general, Carolyn Fairbairn, said: "Today's announcement is an example of state intervention that misses the mark.

"Market-wide price caps are not the best answer. Suppliers are already acting, providing support to those on pre-payment meters, and continued action to phase out standard variable tariffs would benefit a wide range of consumers, including those on the lowest incomes."

But Energy Secretary Greg Clark told Sky News: "What the competition authority has established is that the energy market is not working well.

"There are two markets in effect - there is a highly competitive market for people who are very keen to go on the internet and switch. But there are a lot people who might trust brands that they've known for years.

"They assume they may not get the lowest price, but they won't be ripped off. A lot of people see themselves as loyal customers and because the companies know that they are loyal and that they can put up the prices and they have made a misjudgement, that they won't do anything about it, they are overcharging them to this amount.

"I think when you are faced with that evidence, I think you have got a duty to act."