BORIS Johnson could double the £200 energy loan to £400 later this year if the cost of living crisis continues to deepen.The PM has asked officials to look at giving more help to hard-pressed families, whose already crippling bills rare expected to soar further because of the war in Ukraine.
1Boris Johnson could double the £200 energy loan to £400 later this year
But Boris faces a fresh clash with the Treasury who are wary of giving the green light to more support at the moment — and think higher bills may be here to stay.
No 10 has asked officials at the Department for Business for a menu of options for what more they could do should prices stay high over the summer and the huge squeeze on incomes continues.
Options include doubling the £200 energy rebate loan to £400, delaying the repayment schedule or even exempting poorer households from paying back all the cash.
Last night the PM admitted Brits were going to have to take the pain while trying to defeat Putin, saying: “I think that is absolutely right there.”
But the PM’s spokesperson dropped a strong hint that at least some more help could be on the way.
He said: “We will continue to give people the support they need throughout this difficult period as we did during the pandemic.
“We continue to monitor the situation — we do acknowledge the impact of rising wholesale gas prices and petrol prices and the impact of that on families.”
But the Chancellor is pushing back on more help before August — and thinks the current inflation crisis is very different from the pandemic and may last longer.
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A Treasury source said: “We do not know where energy prices will be by the time the next decision on the cap comes on and it would be irresponsible to decide on a policy response before we have more certainty.”
The Chancellor is facing fierce pressure to announce more help at his upcoming spring statement at th …
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