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  "path": "/money/zack-polanski-proposes-energy-bill-cap",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-18T19:23:48.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Labour plan to turn 500,000 acres of countryside into Net Zero farms slammed by Reform UK",
    "Energy prices surge risks plunging millions of Britons into poverty unless Labour acts now",
    "Energy bills alert: Labour pledge household support amid Iran war pressure",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nGreen Party leader Zack Polanski has committed £8.4billion to shield British households from rising energy costs, announcing the policy on Wednesday.\n\nSpeaking at a community garden in north London, Mr Polanski urged ministers to guarantee that bills would not exceed the April to June price cap level.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe intervention would be funded by aligning capital gains tax rates with income tax, a measure the Greens estimate would generate £12billion annually for the Treasury.\n\n\"The alternative is unacceptable: if the price cap rises, we will see interest rate rises, mortgage rates up, bond yields up, and inflation up and we will be back into the doom loop that has done untold damage to our economy,\" Mr Polanski said.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe former theatre performer acknowledged the proposal was \"not cheap\" but said action was necessary.\n\nMr Polanski criticised the Chancellor’s approach to public finances, describing Labour’s fiscal framework as a \"black box\" that Rachel Reeves adheres to \"no matter what, even when we can see it's crushing the economy, eroding workers' rights and destroying our public services\".\n\nHe argued current rules requiring debt to fall as a proportion of GDP by the end of the forecast period are flawed.\n\n\"Our fiscal framework is hypersensitive to market movements and this creates policy uncertainty that then fuels the very market jitters it is there to supposedly prevent,\" Mr Polanski said.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nMr Polanski proposed establishing a panel of independent experts to assess debt sustainability and appropriate spending levels, drawing on models already operating in Australia and New Zealand.\n\nHe also questioned the use of GDP as a measure of economic success.\n\n\"GDP is a terrible way to measure the health, happiness and wellbeing of a country,\" Mr Polanski said.\n\nHe added he is \"much more interested in growing people's mental health, growing our public services, growing cohesion of our communities\".\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Labour plan to turn 500,000 acres of countryside into Net Zero farms slammed by Reform UK\n  * Energy prices surge risks plunging millions of Britons into poverty unless Labour acts now\n  * Energy bills alert: Labour pledge household support amid Iran war pressure\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nOn housing, Mr Polanski pledged nationwide rent controls across England to tackle what he described as \"rip-off rents\".\n\n\"If we had frozen rents in autumn 2022, households in Britain would be saving over £3,300 per year on average,\" he said.\n\nThe address comes as the Greens continue to poll strongly, with the party currently sitting fourth in national polls at around 16 per cent support.\n\nLast month, the party won the traditionally Labour-held seat of Gorton and Denton in a by-election.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nRising global tensions have contributed to higher gas prices, with analysts at Cornwall Insight forecasting the household price cap will climb to £1,827 for July to September, up from £1,641 in the current quarter.\n\nMr Polanski said families felt \"helpless\" amid global uncertainty and called on the Government to \"insulate us from some of the worst economic effects of Trump's war\".\n\nThe Greens’ £8.4billion estimate assumes prices rising by up to £300 per household once Ofgem recalculates the cap.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nOther parties have also set out alternative approaches, with Reform UK proposing to scrap VAT on energy bills entirely.\n\nThe Government has so far announced £53million in targeted support for vulnerable households affected by heating oil price rises.\n\nMs Reeves has indicated any broader assistance would focus on the poorest households rather than universal support.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Zack Polanski proposes £8.4billion energy bill cap funded by tax changes"
}