Households on prepayment meters will no longer pay more for their energy than those on direct debits, the chancellor is expected to announce this week.
The “prepayment meter penalty” will end in July, saving more than four million households around £45 a year at a cost of £200m.
It will be managed through changes to the government’s energy price guarantee and, after this ends in April 2024, energy regulator Ofgem will be asked for ways the change can be made permanent.
Ahead of his spring budget this week, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: “It is clearly unfair that those on prepayment meters pay more than others.
“We are going to put an end to that.”
Energy suppliers have said prepayment meters cost more to manage – supplying vouchers and collecting payments, for example – blaming this for the higher prices.
But most of the households on prepayment meters are vulnerable or low income, meaning the higher tariff and inability to spread the cost across the year are hitting those who can least afford to pay.
More on Childcare
Related Topics:
The chancellor will also be announcing a number of changes to benefits to get more of the sick, disabled and welfare claimants back into work.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
2:11
The data behind prepayment meters
The system used to assess eligibility for sickness benefits, for example, will be axed, allowing claimants to receive benefits after they return to work.
Advertisement
Over 50s will be targeted with more skills training, while parents will be given more help with childcare costs, which are among the most expensive in the world.
Mr Hunt will raise the maximum universal credit childcare allowance – which has been frozen at £646 a month per child for years – by several hundred pounds.
The Treasury has not given the exact amount.
Image: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt
The government will also start paying parents on universal credit childcare support upfront, rather than in arrears.
Government figures show that more than half a million workers have vanished from the workforce since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is among the factors that have been stifling productivity and economic growth.
Syma Cullasy-Aldridge, chief campaigns director at the Confederation of British Industry, said firms are struggling to fill more than one million job vacancies in the economy.
She said it was “absolutely right” that childcare support for those on universal credit will be paid upfront, but called for a review into childcare “to ensure it works for everyone”, as well as reform of the apprenticeship levy to help over-50s back into work.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
4:14
Is childcare limiting the economy?
The TUC said changes such as greater childcare support are “long overdue” and welcomed “an end to assessments that cause anxiety instead of helping people achieve their aspirations”.
But, the union’s general secretary Paul Nowak said proposals to increase the use of sanctions are “worrying”.
Scope’s director of strategy James Taylor said: “To be successful these proposals must lead to a more person-centred system that offers specialist, tailored and flexible back to work support.
“Those that want to work should be supported. But for some, that’s not an option and disabled people shouldn’t be forced into unsuitable work.”
Labour’s shadow work and pension’s secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “Over recent months, Labour has outlined welfare reforms to get Britain back to work and now the Tories are following our lead.”
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves are among the guests on the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News from 8.30am today.
Worldwide stock markets have plummeted for the second day running as the fallout from Donald Trump’s global tariffs continues.
While European and Asian markets suffered notable falls, American indexes were the worst hit, with Wall Street closing to a sea of red on Friday following Thursday’s rout – the worst day in US markets since the COVID-19 pandemic.
All three of the US’s major indexes were down by more than 5% at market close; The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 5.5%, the S&P 500 was 5.97% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 5.82%.
The Nasdaq was also 22% below its record-high set in December, which indicates a bear market.
Ever since the US president announced the tariffs on Wednesday evening, analysts estimate that around $4.9trn (£3.8trn) has been wiped off the value of the global stock market.
More on Donald Trump
Related Topics:
Mr Trump has remained unapologetic as the markets struggle, posting in all-caps on Truth Social before the markets closed that “only the weak will fail”.
The UK’s leading stock market, the FTSE 100, also suffered its worst daily drop in more than five years, closing 4.95% down, a level not seen since March 2020.
And the Japanese exchange Nikkei 225 dropped by 2.75% at end of trading, down 20% from its recent peak in July last year.
Image: US indexes had the worst day of trading since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pic: Reuters
Trump holds trade deal talks – reports
It comes as a source told CNN that Mr Trump has been in discussions with Vietnamese, Indianand Israelirepresentatives to negotiate bespoke trade deals that could alleviate proposed tariffs on those countries before a deadline next week.
The source told the US broadcaster the talks were being held in advance of the reciprocal levies going into effect next week.
Vietnam faced one of the highest reciprocal tariffs announced by the US president this week, with 46% rates on imports. Israeli imports face a 17% rate, and Indian goods will be subject to 26% tariffs.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
China – hit with 34% tariffs on imported goods – has also announced it will issue its own levy of the same rate on US imports.
Mr Trump said China “played it wrong” and “panicked – the one thing they cannot afford to do” in another all-caps Truth Social post earlier on Friday.
Later, on Air Force One, the US president told reporters that “the beauty” of the tariffs is that they allow for negotiations, referencing talks with Chinese company ByteDance on the sale of social media app TikTok.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
6:50
Tariffs: Xi hits back at Trump
He said: “We have a situation with TikTok where China will probably say, ‘We’ll approve a deal, but will you do something on the tariffs?’
“The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. They always have.”
Global financial markets gave a clear vote of no-confidence in President Trump’s economic policy.
The damage it will do is obvious: costs for companies will rise, hitting their earnings.
The consequences will ripple throughout the global economy, with economists now raising their expectations for a recession, not only in the US, but across the world.
The court ruled to uphold the impeachment saying the conservative leader “violated his duty as commander-in-chief by mobilising troops” when he declared martial law.
The president was also said to have taken actions “beyond the powers provided in the constitution”.
Image: Demonstrators stayed overnight near the constitutional court. Pic: AP
Supporters and opponents of the president gathered in their thousands in central Seoul as they awaited the ruling.
The 64-year-old shocked MPs, the public and international allies in early December when he declared martial law, meaning all existing laws regarding civilians were suspended in place of military law.
Image: The court was under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement. Pic: AP
After suddenly declaring martial law, Mr Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly.
He has argued that he sought to maintain order, but some senior military and police officers sent there have told hearings and investigators that Mr Yoon ordered them to drag out politicians to prevent an assembly vote on his decree.
His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December, accusing him of rebellion.
The unanimous verdict to uphold parliament’s impeachment and remove Mr Yoon from office required the support of at least six of the court’s eight justices.
South Korea must hold a national election within two months to find a new leader.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, is the early favourite to become the country’s next president, according to surveys.