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Chancellor John Healey announced a 100-pound energy payment in his first budget

Updated · First published

Chancellor John Healey announced a £100 energy payment for households in council tax bands A to D in his first Budget. He extended the electricity VAT cut to July and said gas standing charges in England, Scotland and Wales will be scrapped during 2027, or as soon as possible after. He also promised similar electricity-bill reforms.

More context

Chancellor John Healey announced a £100 energy payment for people in council tax bands A to D, alongside changes to electricity and gas charges, in his first Budget. The Independent said the payment was intended to help households manage high bills through the spring.

Healey also extended the VAT cut on electricity bills to July. It had been due to end in April, according to the BBC; The Independent said the extension would take £50 off the annual price cap.

Gas standing charges will be scrapped in England, Scotland and Wales during 2027, “or as soon as possible after,” Healey said, with the fixed daily fees shifted into the price per unit of energy. He also promised to set out similar reforms for electricity bills and said he would work with the energy secretary next year to make bills fairer.

Reporting

Verifier’s note

The Independent reports the budget’s energy-bill measures and tax-policy announcements, while BBC News and The Guardian also cover Chancellor John Healey’s newly announced Budget and its key measures. The reports are published on the same day as the proposed event.

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