Every household in Britain is set to get a £400 energy bill discount under an emergency cost-of-living package that will be partly funded by a £5 billion windfall tax on oil and gas giants.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak bowed to pressure on Thursday to unveil £15 billion of measures to tackle the impact of soaring inflation, which has reached a 40-year high.
As well as the universal payment, there was targeted support for the poorest, the elderly and the disabled in the package that will be two-thirds funded by borrowing.
The Chancellor acknowledged that high inflation is causing “acute distress” for people in the country, telling MPs: “I know they are worried, I know people are struggling.”
He said the Government “will not sit idly by while there is a risk that some in our country might be set so far back they might never recover”.
The £6 billion announcement of £400 in universal support from October will replace the initial plan for a £200 loan, with Sunak scrapping the requirement to repay the money.
According to Treasury officials, this applies to every single individual house in the UK – including second homes.
This means wealthy second homeowners will be getting a discount for both their primary home, and the holiday home which might not be occupied for most of the year.
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