Mr Lewis was left with his head in his hands as Ms Currie, a former Tory MP, offered energy saving advice after doubling down on her claims. She was invited to the first of Martin’s Money Mondays, which will air on ITV’s Good Morning Britain this September, to discuss her views with the consumer champion and Susanna Reid. Energy bills are set to rise by 80% to £3,549 this October as the price cap rises, and analyst forecasts warn of annual typical household bills of more than £7,000 in the new year. But Ms Currie on Monday morning urged Mr Lewis to tone down his language and instead “advise people to take sensible steps to reduce the impact on their families and businesses”. He told the program about a “dirt cheap” proposal he had for people to help save energy in their homes. Mrs Currie held up a sheet of aluminum foil and said “it makes the whole room nice and warm” if you put it behind a radiator. He added: “It means you can turn down your thermostat without any discomfort. “I mean, Martin, Susanna, most people my age have lived in houses without central heating, but we depend on it now. Just that little thing makes all the difference.” The former Tory MP also suggested Britons keep their sofas away from radiators when they are on to ensure rooms are properly heated. Ms Currie offered her own energy saving tips during her appearance on Good Morning Britain. At one point the money-saving expert put his head in his hands in exasperation as Ms Currie spoke. Mr Lewis hit back at Ms Currie by saying there was “nothing wrong with the advice” that it was “not enough”. “Ultimately, let’s be simple. We have an 80% increase in the price cap in October. We have another projected increase of 52% in January,” he said. “This will bring a typical UK bill to £5,400 a year. Many pensioners tend to have bigger bills because they need more heating. £5,400 is effectively more than half of the full state pension – much more than the old state pension – this it’s less.” Want a quick and special update on the biggest news? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out what you need to know Last week, the pair clashed online after Ms Currie slammed the consumer champion for using the word “catastrophe” to describe the cost of living crisis. During an exchange on Twitter, Ms Currie said she should “stop pretending governments can do everything”. Mr Lewis, meanwhile, hit back at the former health secretary – telling her the tenure was justified given how much energy bills are expected to soar later this year. While bills continued to rise, Mr Lewis was critical of the government’s current support package for households, condemning MPs for behaving like “zombies”. The winner of the Tory leadership contest – to be announced later today – is expected to unveil a new support package within days of taking office. Campaigner Liz Truss said on the eve of the result announcement that she would act within a week if the new prime minister was elected. According to reports in The Times and Telegraph on Monday, it is said to be considering freezing energy prices.
