Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney has called for the energy price rise set for October 1 to be cancelled.

The move comes against the background of fears millions will be plunged into fuel poverty this winter – forced to choose between heating and eating.

The official price cap on energy tariffs – set by the regulator Ofgem - put typical annual bills at £1,277 in the first three months of this year.

It rose to £1,971 on April 1 and one new analysis suggests it will jump to £3,687 from October 1 with suggestions it could go up again to £4.400 in January and £4,700 in April.

The Lib-Dems argue the cost of the move should be funded by a windfall tax on the oil and gas giants, such as BP and Shell, which have been making supernormal profits on the back of price increases caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This morning, Miss Olney, who is the Lib-Dem Treasury spokesman in Parliament, said: "The upcoming rise in the energy price cap should be cancelled.

"People across the UK are facing an unprecedented rise in their energy of bills, which could plunge millions into fuel poverty.

"Cancelling the rise, funded by an expansion of the Windfall Tax is the right to do."

Sarah Olney said scrapping the October increase would save residents in the Richmond Park constituency an average of £1,849 a year – adding up to over £133m.

She said: "Hard-workinq families in Richmond Park are already struggling to make ends meet and are deeply concerned about how they will cope with the predicted rise in energy bills. 

 This Conservative Government is stalling in the face of a national emergency and, yet again, is simply not doing enough to put money back in the pockets of hard-working people. 

"Countless families and pensioners across Richmond Park are already struggling, and they cannot wait for a new Conservative leader to act.  

"This is an emergency, and the Government must step in now to help families and pensioners in Richmond Park by cancelling the planned rise in energy bills this October."

The Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, who is the Kingston MP, today accused both Conservative leadership candidates of failing to understand the scale of the cost of living crisis.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We all know that energy prices are going to go up dramatically in October, but we've heard nothing from either candidate of the Conservatives for prime minister. They've got no plan, it's almost as if they're living in a parallel universe.

"Liberal Democrats are now publishing our plan and what we're saying is the Government should cancel the October energy price rise. If it does, it will avoid a social catastrophe. Millions of families and pensioners will go hungry and cold this winter unless bold measures like Liberal Democrats are proposing is put in place. They've got to act now."

He added: "The poorest 10% of households pay three times as much of their income on energy as the richest 10%, so it's going to help the poorest the most by a long way, but even people on modest and middle incomes are going to have a body blow with this rise, so it's right that we need this bold measure."