'Eating or heating' choice for poor

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The TUC Congress also pressed for utilities to be taken back into public ownership.

Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, told the conference in Brighton that families were facing a "winter of fear" because of rising gas and electricity bills.

"This can't be addressed by lagging the loft as some crackpots around the prime minister want us to consider. Without help with fuel bills now, we'll be lagging the coffins of the elderly if we have a cold winter."

Mr Woodley accused "greedy" oil firms of making billions of pounds in profits, much of it going to shareholders.

"With that money they could gold plate every house in the country, never mind lag the loft."

Mr Woodley accused the Government of "rolling over" to big business and issued a direct plea to the prime minister to intervene.

"A windfall tax for a start, and if they don't cooperate we should legislate and regulate to cap price increases on utilities.

"If they still don't get the message, the Government should consider taking these essential industries, water, gas, electricity, back into public ownership."

Delegates approved an emergency motion calling for a windfall tax on energy companies and backed the economic, social and environmental case for public ownership of utilities.