Minister issues warning as government energy support package kicks in to cover huge spike in bills

Published

2 years ago

October 1, 2022

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Consumers are being warned they may be targeted by scammers as the government’s energy price guarantee comes into effect.

Messages asking for people to provide personal or financial details to receive support should be treated as fraudulent activity, as no applications are required, the business secretary has said.

The £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme will be applied automatically to bills each month between October and next March.

And the Energy Price Guarantee, which will limit the amount households pay per unit of gas and electricity, comes into effect from today.

In a statement, Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “Unprecedented government support is beginning this weekend, protecting families and businesses across the country from what was going to be an 80% increase in energy bills this winter.

“I also urge people today to stay alert to scams. This support will reach people automatically and there is no need to apply.”

Earlier this month, Action Fraud – the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime – said nearly 1,600 reports had been made to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) about scam emails purporting to be about energy rebates from regulator, Ofgem.

Ministers say the Energy Price Guarantee should mean a typical household will pay about £2,500 per year, starting this month for the next two years – protecting them against what could have been, on average, an additional £1,000 a year on their energy bills.

The government has confirmed households in Northern Ireland will also receive the same support through the Energy Price Guarantee from November, with support for October bills backdated.

People who live in areas not served by the gas grid or who use alternative fuels such as heating oil will still receive a £100 support payment.

For the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme, customers on pre-payment meters will receive a credit or vouchers direct from their electricity supplier.

Households have been urged to take a photograph of their meter reading and do what they can to cut their energy use as prices spike.

But after a massive surge in people submitting readings caused problems at many suppliers, Ofgem stressed that people did not need to all submit their readings by today.

“If you’re planning to submit your meter reading by October 1, you can submit it a reasonable time after,” the regulator said.

Support for businesses, charities and public sector organisations will also come into effect from today through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

The scheme will operate for six months and could be extended subject to a review.

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Ministers say the discounts it will provide on the price per unit of gas and electricity will result in payments of wholesale energy costs below half of what had been feared.

As the energy price cap comes into force, Prime Minister Liz Truss said: “Livelihoods and businesses were at stake. The government’s energy support limits the price they pay for gas and electricity, shields them from massive bill increases, and is expected to curb inflation too.

“The cost of not acting would have been enormous.”

UK

Gatwick Airport: Police release two people who were detained amid security incident as South Terminal reopens

Published

33 mins ago

November 23, 2024

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Gatwick Airport: Police release two people who were detained amid security incident as South Terminal reopens

Two people detained during a security incident at Gatwick Airport have been allowed to continue their journeys after a suspect package saw a “large part” of the South Terminal evacuated.

The terminal was closed for hours after the discovery of a “suspected prohibited item” in a passenger’s luggage sparked an emergency response. It reopened at around 3.45pm.

Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team “made the package safe” before handing the airport back to its operator, Sussex Police said.

Their statement continued: “Two people who were detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys.

“There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel.”

The force also thanked the public and airport staff for their patience while the incident was ongoing.

Earlier the airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, said the terminal was evacuated after a “security incident”.

“The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” it later said in a statement on Friday afternoon.

“The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.”

Gatwick said some flights were cancelled while others were delayed.

It said passengers should contact their airlines for any updates on flights.

Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of travellers heading away from the terminal building.

“Arrived at London Gatwick for routine connection. Got through customs to find out they’re evacuating the entire airport,” one passenger said.

“Even people through security are being taken outside. Trains shut down,” another passenger added, who said “thousands” of people were forced to leave.

Another passenger said people near the gates were being told to stay there and not go back to the departure lounge.

People outside the airport were handed blankets and water, passengers told Sky News.

The airport said its North Terminal was still operating normally.

Gatwick Express said its trains did not call at Gatwick Airport during the police response, but the airport said trains would start calling there again once the terminal was fully reopened.

More than 600 flights were due to take off or land at Gatwick on Friday, amounting to more than 121,000 passenger seats, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

UK

Starmer says UK will ‘set out a path’ to raise defence spending to 2.5%

Published

4 hours ago

November 23, 2024

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Starmer says UK will 'set out a path' to raise defence spending to 2.5%

The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.

Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.

There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.

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A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.

They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.

“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.

“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”

The defence review will also be published in the spring.

While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.

They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.