Labour leader Keir Starmer says people on wages as high as £50,000 will struggle with energy bills.
Sir Keir made the comments defending his plans for universal help with energy bills, rather than targeting the poorest households.
Labour revealed their £29 billion plan to freeze energy bills across the UK on 14 August, claiming people are "worried sick" about paying their energy bills.
READ MORE: DWP urging people to apply for extra £3,300
Sir Keir told Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine: “I think if you’re on £50 grand you’re going to really struggle with £4,000 on your energy bills.
“I think there will be many people watching who accept ‘I’m not the hardest-up, I’ve got a decent wage, but £4,000 on my energy bills is more than I can afford’.”
He said: “If you apply it to everyone, it helps bring inflation down by 4% because energy prices push up inflation.”
He added that while many households are concerned about the rising cost of living, “at the same time you’ve got oil and gas companies making huge profits”.
Sir Keir added: “The Labour Party under my leadership is not going to walk past this and leave people struggling this winter.”
Ofgem, the regulator who calculate the energy price cap, announced last week that it will rise again, pushing the energy bill for the average household in the UK from from £1,971 up to £3,549.
