MORE than 65,000 people have called for a windfall tax hike to make North Sea oil and gas firms hand over their excess profits, in a petition handed to Parliament today.

The petition, started and delivered by Labour MP Richard Burgon, says that increasing the tax on the companies will raise billions in support to help families struggling to pay their energy bills during the cost-of-living crisis.

Mr Burgon’s proposal could raise at least £12bn this year alone — £7bn more than the government’s own windfall tax estimates.

It comes as new Prime Minister Liz Truss will set out her plan to tackle the strain on households and businesses due to soaring energy bills on Thursday.

Ms Truss has already rejected the idea of a windfall tax increase to fund her plan, which is expected to freeze household bills at around £2,500.

The bills would still be about £500 higher than the current cap, and the plan reportedly will cost up to £150bn.

The petition reads: “To ensure that the needs of people are put ahead of the profits of energy giants, we need bold action including freezes to the energy price cap, energy firms brought into public ownership and the rolling-out of a mass programme of home insulation.

“We must also urgently tackle the eye-watering levels of profits that North Sea oil and gas companies are making on the backs of higher bills for ordinary people.”

Mr Burgon said it is “totally unacceptable” that oil and gas firms are raking in such record profits while millions suffer.

The former shadow justice secretary said: “The government’s windfall tax lets the oil and gas firms off the hook and leaves them pocketing billions in excess profits.

“The new Prime Minister should abandon any plans to pay for energy support through years of higher energy bills.

“Instead, the Prime Minister’s package of measures must include increasing the windfall tax to levels that would force the oil and gas companies to hand over all their excess profits.

“That could raise billions to help people through this cost-of-living emergency.”

Ms Truss was accused by Labour shadow commons leader Thangam Debbonaire of “swerving scrutiny” by not making a ministerial statement on her energy plans in Parliament.

And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pushed for a levy on the £170bn excess profits that oil and gas producers are expected to enjoy over the next two years.

He said: “The Prime Minister knows she has no choice but to back an energy price freeze, but it won’t be cheap and the real choice, the political choice, is who is going to pay.”

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford called the PM’s plans a “Truss tax,” warning that households and businesses will be paying it for years to come.

“These costs must not be passed onto consumers and businesses by deferring bills,” he said.

“Government must announce an enhanced windfall profits tax, making sure that those oil and gas producers pay their fair share from excess profits.”

Downing Street has said the current windfall tax will not be scrapped but ruled out further such measures being introduced.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “That approach is not being altered.

“The Prime Minister is clear that we will not be introducing any further taxes in this space, given that we want to see broader investment in domestic oil and gas production as a transition fuel during this current global crisis we face.”

And Downing Street indicated that the moratorium on fracking in England could be lifted in Ms Truss’s energy package, despite the 2019 Conservative manifesto opposing an end to the ban without science showing it can be done safely.