Three Churches have joined an alliance of 55 organisations calling upon MPs to vote in favour of a decarbonisation measure in the Energy Bill. 

MPs are being asked to support an amendment to the Energy Bill that would introduce a target committing the UK to becoming an almost carbon free power sector by 2030.

The Methodist Church, Baptist Union of Great Britain and United Reformed Church want MPs to vote for the amendment.

They see the Energy Bill as playing an important role in turning the UK into a world leading low-carbon economy.

In a joint briefing for MPs ahead of the debate, the Churches said investment in low-carbon energy would not cause fuel poverty. 

"The main cause of increasing fuel poverty is a general rise in energy costs, specifically of gas and oil," states the report. "Recent studies show that the most effective way of reducing fuel poverty is through targeted energy efficiency improvement."

The introduction of a decarbonisation target is supported by the Liberal Democrat Party. The Reverend Dr Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the Methodist Church, has written to every Liberal Democrat MP urging them to vote in line with their own party policy.

Organisations in the alliance include UNICEF, the TUC, Operation Noah, Christian Aid, Greenpeace, Oxfam and the WWF.