Sunak due to announce new financial measures, at 11am today.

Some people are never satisfied. They complain nothing’s being done. They complain when something is done.

They allow things to get bad for people so they can then make things better. It’s like being in an abusive relationship isn’t it

Exactly MayBe!!! Johnson is a narcissistic, controlling, gaslighting bully. This government is abusing its people; grinding us down then throwing us a crumb and ‘demanding’ that we’re grateful! Definitely the MO of an abusive relationship

The full package:

1) One-off disability cost of living payment of £150 to any adult receiving DLA/AA/PIP.

"Many disabled people will also receive the payment of £650 I've already announced, taking their total cost-of-living payments to £800," the chancellor says.

2) Eight million pensioners to get extra £300
The chancellor announces from the autumn eight million pensioner households will receive an extra winter fuel payment of £300.

3) All households to get £400 for energy bills as loan scheme scrapped
The chancellor has also made the £200 loan for energy bills a grant that no longer needs to be paid back and increased its sum to £400.

4) Lowest income households to get one-off payment of £650
Chancellor Rishi Sunak says around eight million of the lowest income households will be sent a one-off payment of £650.

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Zonne

^I agree that it would have been better if the money could be credited directly to a person's energy account…^

Why? Some people may be struggling more with paying for food, or fuel/fares to work, or hew school uniforms, or, or, or…

It’s going to adults, who can make their own decisions.

You are absolutely right.

I have been busy with other things and overlooked the fact that this is not just about helping with energy bills, when it is meant to help with all/any financial pressures people are facing.

I agree that it would have been better if the money could be credited directly to a person's energy account…

Why? Some people may be struggling more with paying for food, or fuel/fares to work, or hew school uniforms, or, or, or…

It’s going to adults, who can make their own decisions.

Paying into electric accounts will not help those of us who heat with oil.

If you do that Oldnproud, you’re giving the money to your supplier much earlier than you need to. I know it will earn a pitiful amount of interest in your bank, but keep it there until you have to pay the bills.

Giving pensioners £850 will not come close to helping the wave of inflation that is coming later this year.
The more central government prints and distributes money, the more inflation we get.

We will be back here in 6 months.

Urmstongran

Some households will blow this money, paid direct into their banks.

That £650 should have been a further discount on fuel bills.
A lot of people will blow a cash payment on booze, cigarettes etc.

I agree that it would have been better if the money could be credited directly to a person's energy account, in the same way as Warm Homes Discount. However, I imagine that would be far too complicated, and as a result, too costly.

There would also have been the additional problem of what would happen to that credit if the company went out of business and the customer transferred to another company. In theory, the credit should eventually reach their new account, but in reality it can take a long time for that to happen, leaving the customer in dire straits.

When we receive whatever is coming our way, we will transfer it straight across to our energy account, but I only dare risk that because we are with one of the big six suppliers.

Urmstongran

Some households will blow this money, paid direct into their banks.

That £650 should have been a further discount on fuel bills.
A lot of people will blow a cash payment on booze, cigarettes etc.

Well that will be up to them all comes under personal responsibility

Urmstongran

Some households will blow this money, paid direct into their banks.

That £650 should have been a further discount on fuel bills.
A lot of people will blow a cash payment on booze, cigarettes etc.

UG, have you got a wee book called Old fashioned stereotypes for the use of Conservative-leaning voters?

GrannyGravy13

I will repeat my first post.

I really do not give a hoot what the reasons are for dealing with the cost of living crisis now, as long as it helps those who need it.

I agree GG, it's good news and that's what's important.

Its all very well throwing money into a potential black hole. Something neds to be done about the so called "standing charge" which the greedy power companies have raised.

Some households will blow this money, paid direct into their banks.

That £650 should have been a further discount on fuel bills.
A lot of people will blow a cash payment on booze, cigarettes etc.

I watched, and am glad to see the government have responded. My 85 year old aunt will receive an additional £300 on her winter fuel payment, and all of us will now receive a £400 'gift' towards our energy bills.

I hope the Government is paying Kier Starmer an advisor's salary, as so many of their decisions do seem to be based on his advice, albeit with a built-in time delay

grannyactivist

For some time there has been a call, from Opposition parties and the PMs own back benchers, to alleviate the cost of energy bills by creating a windfall tax. The PM said he couldn’t do it.

It has long been anticipated by some, including me, that he would do it, but that he would wait to announce it until after the Sue Gray report was published. Not a dead cat, but a cynical ploy to create positive headlines.

So he gets no brownie points from me for causing people further hardship in order to alleviate his own problems, but I’m glad that people having to choose whether to heat or eat will finally get some help.

Precisely. They allow things to get bad for people so they can then make things better. It’s like being in an abusive relationship isn’t it.

"Energy Profits Levy" so this is the new name for a Windfall Tax that last week Rishi said they would NOT be introducing because they were too busy dealing with serious stuff.
So incompetent and bereft of an original idea but cannot be seen to be taking advice from the opposition parties. At least if the PM stays in post the Tories will be annihilated come the GE.

Live now
www.bbc.co.uk/news

I would like to add that I will not be awarding Mr.Johnson, Mr. Sunak or any of the current cabinet any brownie points for this.

I am just pleased they are finally doing something, and in no way will it (whatever it turns out to be) alter my feelings towards the Government, they have lost my support.

Remember that all this was decided by Labour at the beginning of the year.

What indeed Richmond.? It’s an obvious ploy.
Though they will have known the much awaited Sue Gray report would be damning...so they say sorry ( even though we didnt know we did anything wrong) and throw the poor a sweet.

A week ago every single Conservative MP voted against a windfall tax. A couple of weeks ago Rishi Sunak said he would be 'silly' to even consider offering help with energy bills until the autumn.

What's changed in a week or two?

For some time there has been a call, from Opposition parties and the PMs own back benchers, to alleviate the cost of energy bills by creating a windfall tax. The PM said he couldn’t do it.

It has long been anticipated by some, including me, that he would do it, but that he would wait to announce it until after the Sue Gray report was published. Not a dead cat, but a cynical ploy to create positive headlines.

So he gets no brownie points from me for causing people further hardship in order to alleviate his own problems, but I’m glad that people having to choose whether to heat or eat will finally get some help.

GrannyGravy13

I will repeat my first post.

I really do not give a hoot what the reasons are for dealing with the cost of living crisis now, as long as it helps those who need it.

Can I just remind you, before Johnson revisits his 'Captain Hindsight' nonsense, that Labour has been calling for a windfall tax for weeks. And an emergency budget.

I care very much about the reasons for dealing with the cost of living crisis. I said this in a post somewhere else recently; that a government should regard it as its DUTY to protect its citizens and do all it can to mitigate the effects of the crisis. As such, they should have acted some time ago.

There is something quite despicable about a government which has to be forced into doing the right thing Forced into lockdown, forced into providing food for poor children during the pandemic and now forced into a windfall tax and help for people who are struggling.

I'm pleased that something is happening, but there is no virtue in what they are doing.