Government must stop dithering over energy bill support for the vulnerable | Nils Pratley
Source: The Guardian ·
Ministers should introduce a properly targeted social tariff rather than tinker with the warm homes discount Energy bills forecast to jump by £276 a year from JanuaryWhat to do as prices head for £2,000 a yearAfter the hopeful good vibes in Liverpool, here comes a reminder of what is coming this winter: a mighty new year shock in energy bills, hitting the poorest hardest, that the government…
From the source
After the hopeful good vibes in Liverpool, here comes a reminder of what is coming this winter: a mighty new year shock in energy bills, hitting the poorest hardest, that the government looks unprepared for. From the quarterly price cap level of £1,723 that will apply from Thursday for an average dual-fuel household, take your pick from a range of forecasts for the first three months of 2027. Energy consultancy Cornwall Insight says £1,999. Big supplier EDF thinks £2,076. Split the difference and we’re talking about a 18% quarter-on-quarter rise in the unit rate at the worst time of the year, the months of peak consumption. Everybody knows the immediate reason – soaring gas prices – but the government cannot claim to be surprised by events. The threat of a prolonged price spike has been present ever since Donald Trump’s Middle East misadventure became more than a one-week affair. The government, it’s true, has fiddled at the margin. Rachel Reeves, when chancellor, took a chunk of…