Watch the moment 30 activists invade Parliament’s central lobby in fuel protest
More than 30 Greenpeace activists invaded the central lobby in Parliament to mark Rishi Sunak’s ascendency to Number 10.
The environmental campaigners, joined by Fuel Poverty Action, sat down in the centre of the Palace of Westminster unfurling a banner reading ‘chaos costs lives.’
They called on the prime minister in waiting Rishi Sunak to take action on soaring energy bills and the possibility of mass fuel poverty this winter.
After the campaigners sat down police rushed around them to get them to move, even interrupting a live Sky TV interview, with one officer covering the camera with his hand.
Activists also linked hands and read out testimony from people suffering from fuel poverty, saying political stalemate in recent months had exacerbated the problem.
Greenpeace UK’s co-executive director, Will McCallum, said: “We now need a government capable of confronting crises, not creating them.
“Almost a quarter of the country is suffering fuel poverty thanks to ridiculous gas prices and the oldest, coldest housing in Europe.”
Ahead of winter he called on Rishi Sunak to reverse his decision to block plans for insulating homes and taxing energy giants.
Ruth London Fuel Poverty Action said last week it “delivered a petition with over 650,000 signatures” calling for urgent action to support people with their bills.
“Despite the truly massive support” she said “so far it has been ignored by a government that seems to be focussed only on staying in power.”