Liz Truss could strip high earners of their £400 autumn energy bill support, a finance minister has suggested. Simon Clarke, the chief secretary to the Treasury and a key supporter of Mrs Truss, said it was “strange” that wealthy people would also benefit from the handout, and if she became prime minister the foreign secretary would consider whether it could be blocked. . Each household is expected to have £400 taken off their energy bills in October as part of a support package presented by Mr Sunak in Ma Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Clarke said, however: “As Conservatives, we should certainly believe in targeting taxpayers’ money as best we can so that we really get the best value and keep the burden on the exchequer as low as possible. ». It comes as Keir Starmer will call on Monday to freeze the energy price cap at its current level of £1,971.

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Payments for the poorest must be doubled to avert “catastrophe”, charities say

A group of 70 charities and community groups have signed a letter calling on the two Tory leadership candidates to commit to doubling the £1,200 support package that goes to the most vulnerable households. Dan Paskins from Save the Children said: “At the very least, the government should double the emergency support package announced in May to ensure families are protected from a devastating winter.” Paul Kissack, chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which organized the letter, said: “Planning for a meaningful package of support must begin immediately. Without it, vulnerable people will face a disaster on a massive scale when winter comes.” (PA wire) Thomas Kingsley14 August 2022 10:25 1660467910

The Government’s plan “doesn’t seem proportionate”, says the charity boss

Adam Scorer, chief executive of the charity National Energy Action, said the Treasury’s reported plan to cut the energy price cap by £400 this January “doesn’t seem proportionate” to the crisis families are facing. “It doesn’t seem to be a plan yet,” he told Times Radio. “It won’t avoid costs for people on the lowest incomes and frankly, it doesn’t seem proportionate to the cost of living crisis that many are facing and fear.” He added: “The government, the prime ministerial candidates and the opposition parties are only just waking up to the scale of the intervention required… They need to wake up.” Thomas Kingsley August 14, 2022 10:05 am 1660466861

Truss could strip ‘high earners of £400 energy bill support’

Liz Truss could strip high earners of their £400 autumn energy bill support, a finance minister has suggested. Simon Clarke, the chief secretary to the Treasury and a key supporter of Mrs Truss, said it was “strange” that wealthy people would also benefit from the handout, and if she became prime minister the foreign secretary would consider whether it could be blocked. . “As Conservatives, we absolutely have to believe in targeting taxpayers’ money as best we can so that we really get the best value and keep the burden on the exchequer as low as we can,” Mr Clarke told the Sunday Telegraph. “It’s not an ideal outcome, to put it mildly, that people who don’t need it are getting quite significant amounts of money from the state. This is honestly not a targeted package, is it?’ Thomas Kingsley 14 August 2022 09:47 1660466410

Treasury ‘sets out plan to cut £400 off energy bills in January’

Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi is believed to have asked Treasury officials to draw up plans to cut gas and electricity bills by an extra £400 in January through a new loan scheme for energy providers. It comes as Labor joined the Lib Dems in calling for the energy price cap – expected to push annual bills to almost £3,600 – to be frozen in October. Although Treasury officials are not proposing a freeze on price cap increases this October, they are looking at ways to reduce January’s price cap by around £400 per household, according to the Sunday Times. Read the full story below:

Treasury ‘sets out plan to cut £400 off energy bills in January’

The loan scheme proposal comes as Liz Truss considers cutting existing support for ‘high earners’ Thomas Kingsley 14 August 2022 09:40 1660465122

Boris Johnson only Prime Minister I have worked with who has embarrassed the office – Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon said Boris Johnson was the only prime minister she worked with and was a “disgrace to the office”. Speaking at a panel event at the Edinburgh Fringe on Saturday afternoon, hosted by Ayesha Hazarika, Ms Sturgeon branded the Prime Minister a “disgrace”. He said: “I’ve disagreed with David Cameron, I’ve disagreed with Theresa May, I’ve disagreed with Boris Johnson, but he’s the only one who has actually dishonored the office of prime minister.” Thomas Kingsley 14 August 2022 09:18 1660463410

ICYMI: Labor MPs defy Keir Starmer with striking train drivers in line

Several Labor MPs have defied party leader Sir Keir Starmer’s stance by turning out to rally in support of train drivers striking over pay. Train passengers were hit by widespread unrest on Saturday as thousands of members of rail union Aslef – drivers from nine operating companies – staged a 24-hour strike. Senior Labor MPs have been warned not to visit staff on picket lines outside train stations, but leftists Dawn Butler and Barry Gardiner joined drivers at Willesden station in west London. And frontbencher Kate Osborne, a parliamentary private secretary in the Northern Ireland shadow group, joined striking staff at Newcastle station. “I will always support workers in the fight… workers need a pay rise,” he tweeted. Labor MPs Dawn Butler (left) and Barry Gardiner (right) with Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan (centre) (PA) Thomas Kingsley 14 August 2022 08:50 1660462435

Voices | Will Liz Truss be able to reunite the Conservative Party?

For all the talk of getting together when this is over and how much Liz Truss prefers Rishi Sunak to Keir Starmer, it seems the candidates and their supporters can’t be helped, writes John Rentoul. In Cheltenham on Thursday, Sunak said Truss’ plans “will leave millions of incredibly vulnerable people at risk of real destitution”. The next day, when the new GDP figures were released, Truss made a statement implying that it was Sunak who was responsible as chancellor for the “shrinking of the UK economy”. Read the full piece below:

Opinion: Can Liz Truss Reinvent the Conservative Party?

After a tough leadership campaign, the party seems to have lost the discipline needed to win elections Thomas Kingsley14 August 2022 08:33 1660461310

Rishi Sunak pledges to make the UK ‘energy independent’ if he becomes Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak has drawn up plans to make Britain “energy secure” – including boosting North Sea gas production – as he seeks to make up ground in the Tory leadership race. The former chancellor said he would legislate to make the UK “energy independent” by 2045 at the latest, as he pledged to ensure there is no repeat of the looming winter crisis. Mr Sunak has confirmed that if he becomes prime minister on September 5, he will provide immediate support to households – particularly the most vulnerable – facing skyrocketing energy bills. At the same time, he pledged urgent action to boost domestic energy supplies by creating a new energy security task force and deregulation in the North Sea to allow gas production to rise over the winter. (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Thomas Kingsley14 August 2022 08:15 1660460110

Sir Ed Davey suggests Labor should steal energy cap plan

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey suggested Labor had followed through on its energy price freeze plan after Sir Keir Starmer unveiled his party’s plan to ban rising energy bills amid falling living standards in United Kingdom. Writing on Twitter after the plan was announced, Mr Davey said: “Hello UK Labour, I’m glad you like my proposal to cancel the energy price rise. I also have some thoughts on electoral reform that you can adopt…” Earlier this week, the Lib Dems called for an expected energy price rise in October to be scrapped, with the cost covered by a windfall tax on energy companies’ profits. The Energy Price Cap Increase (Repeal) Bill will see Ofgem maintain existing prices, saving the average household £1,400 this year, the Lib Dems said. The bill would also force the government to produce a report on the extension and retrogression of the windfall tax on oil and gas companies to help cover costs. Thomas Kingsley14 August 2022 07:55 1660459157

Rishi Sunak accused of breaking climate pledge with new plan to extract more oil and gas

Rishi Sunak has been accused of undermining the government’s climate policy as he promised to boost North Sea oil and gas production through a new deregulation effort. The Tory leadership candidate has set out plans to extract more domestic fossil fuels, claiming he would order a new licensing round for oil and gas drilling licenses “immediately” – with a further round from 2024 – if he becomes prime minister. However, campaigners told the Independent that his proposals are “absolutely mind-boggling”. They argued the proposals did nothing to reduce rising energy bills and called into question Mr Sunak’s commitment to the legal target of cutting emissions to zero by 2050. Read the full story below:

Rishi Sunak slams ‘confused’ plan to extract more oil and gas

Plan to boost North Sea drilling ‘totally messed up’, campaigners say Thomas Kingsley 14 August 2022 07:39