Budget 2026 live: chancellor says scrapping of gas standing charges will save 60% of homes £45 a year
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>John Healey says UK faces ‘difficult moment’ as he prepares to deliver first budget of Andy Burnham’s government</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-interactive/2026/oct/22/uk-budget-game-2026-john-healey-labour-andy-burnham">You be the chancellor: play our budget game to see if you can balance the books</a></p></li></ul><p>John Healey found time to hold a meeting with <strong>Martin Lewis</strong>, the founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, in Downing Street this morning. Lewis is one of the most trusted voices on personal finance in Britain, and he has been campaigning for standing charges to be removed from gas bills for some time.</p><p>Speaking <a href="https://x.com/GMB/status/2115360314451517491">to the media afterwards</a>, Lewis said Healey was in a good mood. He said he asked the chancellor if there would be a support scheme to help people with energy bills from January, when costs are set to rise sharply. Lewis said Healey would not confirm anything, but he said that “reading between the lines” he gathered that there will be an announcement on this. Lewis speculated that this could be an increase in the warm homes discount, or it could be help for people in lower council tax bands.</p><p>The biggest issue in energy right now is that we’re expecting a 27% rise in the price cap in January. I asked the Chancellor whether he will be intervening on that. He told me I’d have to wait for the budget, but reading between the lines, yes, there will be an announcement today.</p><p>Whether it’s an increase in the Warm Home Discount, or whether it’s council tax band, or whether it’s done via a payout for people in say council tax bands A-D as a proxy for household income as Rishi Sunak did who knows.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2026/oct/28/budget-2026-latest-updates-john-healey-andy-burnham-labour-uk-politics">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
John Healey says UK faces ‘difficult moment’ as he prepares to deliver first budget of Andy Burnham’s governmentYou be the chancellor: play our budget game to see if you can balance the booksJohn Healey found time to hold a meeting with Martin Lewis, the founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, in Downing Street this morning. Lewis is one of the most trusted voices on personal finance in Britain, and he has been campaigning for standing charges to be removed from gas bills for some time.Speaking to the media afterwards, Lewis said Healey was in a good mood. He said he asked the chancellor if there would be a support scheme to help people with energy bills from January, when costs are set to rise sharply. Lewis said Healey would not confirm anything, but he said that “reading between the lines” he gathered that there will be an announcement on this. Lewis speculated that this could be an increase in the warm homes discount, or it could be help for people in lower council tax bands.The biggest issue in energy right now is that we’re expecting a 27% rise in the price cap in January. I asked the Chancellor whether he will be intervening on that. He told me I’d have to wait for the budget, but reading between the lines, yes, there will be an announcement today.Whether it’s an increase in the Warm Home Discount, or whether it’s council tax band, or whether it’s done via a payout for people in say council tax bands A-D as a proxy for household income as Rishi Sunak did who knows. Continue reading...
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