Member

If someone owns a host of bricks lying at the end of the street and I use them to build a house, I should pay for those bricks. I honestly believe that, if electricity were available for free without meters, the big tech companies would use that electricity without paying. It is only because we have a means to force them to pay—to be clear about what they are using and to make sure that there is a trading market—that they are not. These amendments do that and, as my noble friend said, they do it in a way that is not prescriptive. I urge the Government to listen to the genuine cross-party support for these amendments.