Starmer to announce support for households hit by energy price spike | US-Israel war on Iran
Keir Starmer will on Monday announce tens of millions of pounds worth of support to Britons affected by a rise in energy prices as a result of the Iran war.
The Prime Minister will announce the plans at a Downing Street press conference on Monday, during which he will also target some heating oil suppliers for price gouging.
The support package is understood to be aimed mainly at people who use heating oil to heat their homes, many of whom live in rural areas of Northern Ireland, where the prime minister visited last week.
Starmer will say: “It’s moments like this that tell you what a government is all about.
“My answer is clear. No matter what challenges lie ahead, this government will always support working people. That’s my first instinct, my first priority, is to help you through this crisis with the cost of living.”
Oil prices have been on the rise in recent days as a result of the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which most of the world’s oil supply passes.
The impact is being felt both in the oil fields and in the estimated 1.7 million UK households using heating oil that are not covered by Ofgem’s energy price cap.
The Guardian revealed last week that ministers will use the new crisis and resilience fund to provide aid to those in England through councils, while devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive money to provide aid.
As well as announcing the extra support, Starmer will also criticize heating oil suppliers. competition regulator warns There was evidence that already agreed upon deliveries were being canceled or renegotiated.
The Competition and Markets Authority began investigating the sector and wrote to suppliers asking for more information about their contracts.
Starmer will say on Monday: “I will not tolerate companies trying to exploit this crisis to make money off workers… If companies have broken the law, legal action will be taken.”
Ministers are also not ruling out the possibility of canceling the fuel tax increase planned for September.
Asked on Sunday whether this rise would continue, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told the BBC: “We will stand with the British people in this crisis and will do whatever it takes to do that.”
