Rishi Sunak says it would be ‘silly’ to give families more support with energy bills

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has claimed it would be ‘silly’ for him to provide more support for families with their energy bills before knowing what will happen to prices in the autumn.

With the energy cap recently increasing by a record-breaking 54% and food and fuel prices also skyrocketing, households across the UK are facing unprecedented costs across the board.

In response to the soaring costs, the government announced a £150 council tax rebate and a £200 energy bill discount, which will then have to be paid back over five annual £40 payments.

However, with the energy price cap poised to raise yet again in autumn, Rishi Sunak has said now is not the time to provide more support for those continuing to struggle with the rising costs.

The Chancellor addressed the issue during a Q&A with Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts, where he was asked by someone who is disabled and relies on life-saving equipment at home whether more support would come.

At this, Sunak responded: “Now I know people are anxious about this and wondering if they are going to go up even more, and I have always been clear from the beginning we will see what happens.

“And depending on what happens to bills then, of course, if we need to act and provide support for people, we will.

“But it would be silly to do that now or last month or the month before when we don’t know exactly what the situation in the autumn will be. So I’d say we’ll see where we are with that if we need to do more.”

During the twenty-five-minute interview, he was also asked whether he would consider introducing a windfall tax on energy companies that have profited from the rise in global prices.

Sunak said the measure was something he would ‘look at’ if those companies failed to make ‘investments in our country and in our energy security’.