Britain close to ‘Poll Tax moment’ over surging energy bills, warns Martin Lewis

Martin Lewis warns there is a ‘big movement’ of people calling for a payment strike

Britain could be heading for another "Poll Tax moment" with payment strikes over rocketing energy bills, consumer expert Martin Lewis has warned.

Appearing on ITV’s Peston show last night, the Money Saving Expert said there was a “big movement of people calling for a non-payment of energy bills” as the typical bill is predicted to rise to more than £3,000 in October.

Don’t Pay UK, a Twitter account with 5,000 followers, is urging consumers to halt payments from October 1 unless energy providers reduce bills to “an affordable level”.

The suggestion of protest is reminiscent of the 1990s, when riots broke out over Margaret Thatcher’s Poll Tax reforms.

Mr Lewis said the appearance of the Twitter account had made it possible to gauge civil unrest “more accurately", and warned the Government to “get a handle on that”.

He said: “The big movement that I am seeing is an increase of growth in people calling for a non-payment of energy bills, mass non-payment. Effectively a consumer strike on energy bills and getting rid of the legitimacy of paying that.”

Though the movement was “small at the moment”, Mr Lewis said: "Once it starts becoming socially acceptable not to pay energy bills people will stop paying energy bills and you’re not going to cut everyone off.”

The Poll Tax reform, put forward by Margaret Thatcher, would have seen a 300-year-old “rates” system – wherein taxpayers paid a rate based on the estimated value of their home – swapped for a flat-rate Community Charge, which would see taxpayers pay a fixed rate set by their local authority.

Riots broke out across the country following accusations the tax would save the rich money and move expenses onto the poor.

In 1991, then prime minister John Major announced the Poll Tax would be replaced by council tax, which came into effect in 1993.

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, also appearing on the programme last night, said: “People can’t pay so what do they do? Part of that political protest is about exposing the vulnerability that people have. People are very angry out there.”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said he had privately told Boris Johnson the nation was facing “two juggernauts” in increased National Insurance and soaring energy bills.

“Tax rates are set by us, they’re set by the Government and I never understood – of course I was bound by collective responsibility but it seemed a strange thing, people paying more for energy and increasing their tax load and that doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

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