Liz Truss considering freezing energy bills with support package ‘on the scale of the furlough scheme’

'Low tax Liz' might struggle to fund it, though... 

Liz Truss is 'strongly considering' freezing energy bills this winter if she is elected Prime Minister this week. The Tory Party leadership frontrunner is expected to unveil a package of support ‘on the scale of the furlough scheme’ to help Brits through the cost-0f-living crisis. Both The Times and The Telegraph have reported that a bill freeze is on the cards to avoid energy ‘Armageddon’. The average household spend currently stands at £3,549 a year, already too much for many, but grim warnings say it could soar to £6,616 in 2023. Polling has shown nearly one in four Brits won't turn heating on this winter due to the price increases, with 'warm banks' being considered by several councils. On Sunday, Ms Truss promised to announce support within a week of being crowned Tory leader. But she refused to answer questions about what the package could look like. "Before you have been elected as prime minister, you don’t have all the wherewithal to get the things done", she told the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. "This is why it will take a week to sort out the precise plans and make sure we are able to announce them. That is why I cannot go into details at this stage. It would be wrong." Some have questioned her ability to roll out packages like the ones Rishi Sunak did in the Covid-19 pandemic given her low-tax economy policies. Calculations by the Financial Times show her tax cuts and defence spending pledges, coupled with spiralling inflation and the growing cost of government debt, will create a £60 billion hole in the public finances by 2026. An energy bill price freeze will cost a similarly eye-watering amount. Related Links

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