Rachel Reeves hints at who could get energy bill support as she savages Liz Truss
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said lessons have been learned from past mistakes after the Tories gave payouts to all households including the UK’s richest to help with energy bills
Rachel Reeves has updated MPs on support for households (Image: PA)
Rachel Reeves has ruled out a blanket bailout if energy prices soar thanks to the Iran war.
The Chancellor promised she would do what was right and fair to prevent struggling Brits getting clobbered by rising energy prices. She lashed out at former PM Liz Truss, saying taxpayers are still paying for her payouts to Britain’s richest people.
Ms Reeves said the Government is looking at ways of supporting struggling Brits – but ruled out a universal scheme. She said she would be meeting with supermarkets and banks to discuss ways they can support customers from rising prices and rates.
In an update to MPs she warned the economic challenges from the Middle East conflict may be significant. During her brief spell in 2022, Ms Truss set out an energy price guarantee, which applied to all households.
The Middle East crisis is having a knock-on effect around the world(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Ms Reeves told the Commons there would be no repeat, stating: “We must learn the mistakes of the past. The previous government pushed up borrowing, interest rates, inflation and mortgage costs with an unfunded, untargeted package of support under Liz Truss that gave the support to the most wealthiest of households between 2022 and 2024.
However Green Party leader Zack Polanski responded: “This is an unbelievably weak response from the chancellor to the enormous bill hikes facing households in the UK. Monitoring the situation?
“Considering new powers? Reeves’s lukewarm words show that she and her government simply do not understand the scale of the cost of living crisis about to hit this country.
“We need a guarantee that energy bills will not rise past June, funded by a strengthened windfall tax and higher taxes on extreme wealth.”
