Russia’s war in Ukraine sent your bills soaring, my government is bringing them down, writes Sir Keir Starmer

Today, because of the action we took at the budget, the energy price cap is coming down by £117. That means lower bills from April - but I won’t stop until they’re down for good.

Of course, the war is still with us. And we have learned a hard lesson: events overseas do not stay there. They reach directly into our own lives – and into our own homes. They arrive month after month through the letterbox, stamped across rising energy bills.

For too many families, that pressure has not eased - it still hangs over daily choices and late-night worries. I talk to people across the country who worry the cost-of-living crisis will never truly lift, that this is simply the new normal.

Now, I understand why people feel like that. I remember our family sitting around the kitchen table, working out if we could make ends meet each month.

That’s why my government is tackling the cost of living crisis head-on, and challenging the belief that we can’t turn things around. And restoring that simple promise we all rely on: that if you work hard, you should be able to get on.

And I meant it when I promised to bring bills down.

That’s what today’s announcement is all about. Because of the actions this Labour government took at the last Budget, the price cap on energy bills has come down by £117. That means lower bills for millions across the country this April.

And we’re not stopping there. Where daily costs are rising, we’re stepping in. We’re freezing rail fares and prescription charges. Reducing the cost of childcare. Rolling out free school meals and breakfast clubs. Capping ground rents for leaseholders. And boosting the minimum wage – again.

Reform UK and the Conservatives opposed our budget. Because they don't want things to improve. They don't want to invest in Britain's future. They don't want cleaner, cheaper and home grown energy. They just peddle grievance and decline.

It is the decisions this Labour government took at the Budget that have enabled us to cut bills. And while that short-term support is vital, we have to go further. We have to ask ourselves not just how we get out of this crisis – but how we prevent the next one.

Because the truth is: Britain was left exposed. Previous governments failed to invest in our security. Instead, they put their blind faith almost entirely in unstable international energy markets. Their approach was simple: put our heads in the sand, cross our fingers, and hope for the best.

I am changing that. Not by turning away from international partners – we can’t fight for our national interest if we’re not on the pitch. But by building strength at home. By investing in the infrastructure that will allow Britain to stand on her own two feet.

That why we’re upgrading millions of homes across the country to keeps bills down. The kind of improvements that can save families hundreds of pounds a year – and, crucially, reduce our dependence on tyrants like Putin.

I know there is more to do to bring down the cost-of-living – and to keep it down - it's why I’m pulling every lever at my disposal to tackle this crisis.

Because I know we must deliver the change working people can feel. And that is what we are doing: in the supermarket with inflation coming down, in pay packets with wages rising. And now, in energy bills with the price cap coming down by £117.

That's what this Labour government is all about - taking decisions to protect the pound in the pockets of working people.

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Sir Keir Starmer is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Labour Party

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