Left wing MPs demand parliament is recalled to address cost of living crisis

MPs including John McDonnell, Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott have written to the prime minister demanding parliament is recalled

John McDonnell speaking at a lectern outdoors

A group of left wing parliamentarians have written to Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer and the speakers of both the House of Commons and Lords demanding that parliament is recalled in order to take action to address the cost of living crisis. The group of MPs and peers – which includes former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell – have asked for the parliamentary recess to be broken once Ofgem has announced its revised cap on energy bills on August 26.

In their letter, they write that, “Recent assessments of the massively increasing cost of energy are naturally causing fear and consternation for many people. Many are worried about how they will be able to get through this coming winter and be able to afford to heat their homes or, for some, even heat their food.”

Claiming that Ofgem’s forthcoming announcement will provide the “key information” upon which the public will expect an “urgent response” from the government, the letter says, “It will be imperative for government to act promptly if the support needed is to reach people in time to assist them.”

The parliamentarians go on to argue, “Some of these actions may need urgent Parliamentary approval and certainly will need swift Parliamentary scrutiny. For this reason, given the nature of the crisis our people are facing, we are writing to request that, in the public interest, Parliament is recalled to meet within days following the Ofgem announcement to debate agree measures to address the cost of living crisis out country now faces.”

The full list of signatories to the letter is:

  • Diane Abbott
  • Richard Burgon
  • Dawn Butler
  • Ian Byrne
  • Jeremy Corbyn
  • Ian Lavery
  • Rebecca Long-Bailey
  • Andy McDonald
  • John McDonnell
  • Grahame Morris
  • Kate Osborne
  • Bell Ribeiro Addy
  • Zarah Sultana
  • Jon Trickett
  • Nadia Whittome
  • Beth Winter
  • Christine Blower
  • Pauline Bryan
  • Shami Chakrabarti
  • Bryn Davies
  • John Hendy
  • Prem Sikka
  • Tony Woodley

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

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