Overview

• Daisy Cooper unveiled a plan at the Bournemouth conference to seed a new Energy Security Bank with £2 billion raised from a one-off tax on big banks’ unexpected interest gains.
• The bank would offer affordable loans capped at £20,000 for homeowners and £50,000 for small businesses and community energy groups to fund measures such as insulation and solar panels.
• The party says the facility could unlock up to £10 billion in lending and would be designed to become self-sustaining through repayments.
• Lib Dems estimate the windfall levy could average £7 billion a year through the end of the decade and stress it would not require Bank of England policy changes.
• Cooper will urge Chancellor Rachel Reeves to extend the VAT exemption for energy‑saving materials, while separately Sir Ed Davey called for prosecution of Elon Musk under online safety laws.