Having spent a lot of time over the past year talking to local residents, it is absolutely clear that the cost-of-living crisis has caused unimaginable hardship and difficulty for so many people in Hampstead and Kilburn.

Skyrocketing energy bills are one of the biggest contributors to the money worries that people have increasingly been facing.

Frankly, not enough is being done. It seems that we are walking blindly into a situation where people are paying an enormous amount of money for energy that largely comes from polluting and inefficient sources.

It is wildly unfair that people in this country, and indeed my constituency, have faced a much larger impact on their household budgets because of this energy crisis than people in any other major advanced country.

Ham & High: Tulip Siddiq says the Government has made up dependent on foreign countries for our energyTulip Siddiq says the Government has made up dependent on foreign countries for our energy (Image: Office of Tulip Siddiq)

The fact is, we have been left exposed by a desperate lack of preparation. This Government allowed us to become dependent on foreign energy supplies - and people in Hampstead and Kilburn are now paying the price.

It would be irresponsible not to act now, and act urgently. I have been proud to work with my Labour colleagues to develop our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. It’s a plan that will make energy cheap and secure, so that the British public never again face spiralling, unaffordable bills.

It will create green jobs and boost investment in every region and nation of the country, and it will grow our economy from the bottom up and the middle out. With shovels in the ground and cranes in the sky, a Labour government will help Britain lead the world in cheaper, cleaner power and industry.

Achieving this mission will cut energy bills for good, taking up to £1,400 off the annual household bill by 2030, in addition to the support we are proposing in the short term to deal with the Conservatives' current cost-of-living crisis. This is what would make such a big difference for the people of Hampstead and Kilburn.

We simply cannot put up with these energy bills for much longer, and it is stifling our country’s ability to prosper. I’m proud of Labour’s plan for energy as it will make a real difference for people, and I hope to play my part in putting it into action under a Labour Government after the next election.

  • Tulip Siddiq is Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn.