Low- and middle-income families in the UK will need government support to cope with rising energy bills this winter, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi has warned.
In an interview published in today’s edition of the ‘Daily Telegraph’, the head of the Economy portfolio considers that even families with annual incomes of more than 45,000 pounds (about 52,986 euros) may be forced to resort to the help of the executive.
This alert comes a day after the British energy regulator (Ofgem) announced that the maximum price that energy companies will be able to charge domestic customers per year, as of October 1, has been set at 3,549 pounds sterling (4,202 euros). ), a value that compares with the current value of 1,971 pounds (2,325 euros).
The rise in the energy bill responds to the increase in the price of gas that is being observed worldwide, which began to be felt with the recovery of the economy and worsened with the war in Ukraine.
The new rate now disclosed (and which will be a magazine at the end of the year) arises at a height in which the United Kingdom is still waiting for the confirmation, on September 5, of the name of the successor of the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who announced his resignation in July.
In the interview with the aforementioned newspaper, Zahawi assures that the Treasury is exploring “all possible options” to help the families of the country in the coming months.
The minister also warns that the country is currently experiencing a “national economic emergency that could last 18 months or two years.”
“If you are a nurse or teacher with an annual salary of £45,000 [52.986 euros] and your energy bill goes up 80%, or probably more in the next year, it will be very difficult,” he said.
The Economy Minister also indicated that he is “evaluating what else can be done to help people who really need help” to cope with these increases.
Among the alternatives being studied by the government —and which the next prime minister will have to decide on— is an increase in social subsidies or a program of loans to energy suppliers to avoid passing on cost overruns to consumers.
Nadhim Zahawi also revealed that measures to help small and medium-sized businesses, such as temporary VAT reductions, are also being considered, as there is a conviction that not helping businesses will leave “a long-term scar on the economy”.
Source: Observadora
