Shadow energy minister Tom Greatrex outlined how an incoming Labour government would cut power bills during a visit to Ipswich.

He visited the offices of UK Power Networks which manages the electricity supply to properties in the region before joining members of the local party canvassing in the town.

In September 2013 Labour leader Ed Miliband announced that the party would put a cap on energy price increases – a policy which came under fire from the industry and the government.

Recently some energy companies have announced price cuts following the worldwide slump in fuel prices – but Mr Greatrex said that the reductions just announced were too little too late.

He said: “The companies have seen a 20% drop in the price of gas, but those that have announced reductions are only talking about 3-5% falls in prices, and in some cases that does not come in until the end of the winter which is the time when people need to use more power. That is not good enough – and our proposals would deal with that.”

Mr Greatrex said an incoming Labour government would also make it much easier for people to get grants to improve insulation in their homes or install more efficient heating systems.

He said: “The current government scrapped the schemes the previous Labour government had had and replaced them with the Green Deal – but that’s been very unsuccessful and very bad for the consumer.

“The number of people who have been able to take advantage of it is very small. We need to make it much easier for people to make their homes energy efficient by working with local authorities to get the work done.”