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Exasperated Martin Lewis left with head in his hands at ex-Tory MP's energy saving tip

The short of it

  • Martin Lewis and former Tory minister Edwina Currie clashed on Good Morning Britain over the cost-of-living crisis.

  • Currie criticised the money saving expert for stoking fears and repeatedly warning that the UK faces a potential "catastrophe".

  • She suggested simple tips like putting foil behind radiators could help, but Lewis said that such tricks are simply not enough.

The long of it

Watch: Martin Lewis holds head in hands as former MP suggests putting tin foil behind radiators

Martin Lewis was left with his head in his hands after a former Tory MP suggested using tin foil behind radiators to offset the huge jump in energy bills.

Edwina Currie appeared on Good Morning Britain to discuss the cost-of-living crisis, where she urged people "not to get emotional" about the upcoming spike in bills.

The former health minister offered advice on how families can try and save some pennies on the costs of heating – including moving sofas away from radiators and using foil-like material behind them to send the warmth into the room.

Lewis buried his head in his hands as she talked through her tips, but cautioned that while they would be more energy efficient, they would not be nearly enough to offset the rise in costs families face incoming months.

"Edwina forgive me, there's nothing wrong with the tips and the tips are right and there's lots of great tips out there," he said.

Read more: Elderly people in Scotland are buying less food so they can afford heating, charity finds

(GMB)
Martin Lewis put his head in his hands as Edwina Currie doled out energy saving tips (GMB)

"But ultimately, let's be plain, we have an 80% rise in the price cap in October; we have another predicted 52% in the price cap in January; we're seven months through the 10-month assessment period for that so that's likely to be in the right ballpark.

"That will bring a typical bill in the UK to £5,400 a year. Many pensioners tend to have bigger than typical bills cause they tend to have more heating on. £5,400 is substantially over half the full state pension.

"Those tips you're suggesting, and I've been suggesting them for years, if they would work I'd be talking all the time only about that. They are not enough.

"Even Liz Truss seems to have come round to the idea that that's not enough and I think that's what people took issue with, the idea that saying some small tips with 10-20% savings. 10% savings does not cover a 50 % rise in April, 80% rise in October and a 50% rise in January."

Lewis has previously warned that without help from the government, "people will die this winter", adding that Britain is heading for “catastrophe”.

Read more: Martin Lewis warns people will die this winter without more Government help for energy bills

(GMB)
Edwina Currie claimed people shouldn't get emotional about the forthcoming spike in energy bills. (GMB)

But Currie said the trick was to not get "emotional" about the unfolding crisis – despite warnings that vulnerable people will have to choose between food and warmth over the winter.

Currie said: "What we have to do is not get emotional about it to the exclusion of using common sense, to try and sit down to try and think about what we can all do, whether it is in businesses or in homes.

"Not everyone can accept that, but many of us can do something. We have to be cool and calm. Panic and emotion, it drains the energy when what we need to do is conserve the energy and use it well."

It is not the first time the pair have clashed in recent weeks, after Currie called on Lewis to “stop using words like catastrophe” over the crisis.

But speaking on Monday, Martin said: "Edwina, isn’t that a catastrophe? Isn’t that a catastrophe? Let’s be honest."

She replied: "It doesn’t help using words like that Martin."

But he told her: "But it is a catastrophe, you may not like the language."