THE BBC has been accused of propaganda after the broadcaster said Keir Starmer is committed to reducing household energy bills on the day the energy price cap was raised.
Households across the UK have been told they will likely see a £100 hike on their energy bills in April following a 2% increase to Ofgem’s price cap coming into effect on Wednesday.
Previously in Labour’s election manifesto, Starmer promised UK voters that his party would help “families save up to £300 off their energy bills” by 2030.
Despite the news that UK households will be paying more for energy bills, with the average household paying by direct debit for gas and electricity from the current £1720 to £1755 per year, the BBC’s flagship breakfast show said Starmer was still committed to cutting energy bills.
The broadcaster has been accused of “propaganda” by historian and journalist Craig Murray for failing to hold the UK Government to account over the recent energy price rises.
“The BBC is an open propaganda organisation now” he wrote on Twitter/X.
Murray added: “The lead Breakfast TV headline is ‘Keir Starmer's commitment to reduce household energy bills by £300’ on the day energy bills actually go up.
“And the ‘commitment’ is not news, unless bullshit is news.”
Cornwall Insight has predicted that the price cap will fall in January back to £1725 a year for a typical dual fuel household, but has now suggested any relief will be short-lived and far from the £300 the Prime Minister promised.
The price cap was set at £1568 when Labour entered government in July 2024.
Calls for targeted social tariffs and other support measures are expected to grow as households face ongoing pressure on energy bills.
Starmer has since gone further with his promise, as he wrote in The Sun in February: “[Savings] would be hundreds of pounds. So, £400 to £500, but for good”.
He added: “That is not just a temporary reduction, it is a permanent reduction.”
Labour has been firm in saying that it will take time for the effects of policies such as GB Energy to be felt – but the direction of travel since they have taken office has not filled the public with confidence.
The BBC has been approached for comment.
