No one should be cut off if they can’t afford energy bills, says Zahawi

theguardian.com:

The chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, has said households should not be cut off if they cannot afford their energy bills, as the Treasury examines a range of options to help consumers cope with the cost of living crisis.

Zahawi promised that the government would expand on the £37bn package of aid announced earlier this year to help households tackle soaring energy costs. He told Sky News: “No one should be cut off because they can’t afford their bills.

“I am working with the [energy] companies… to make sure those people who are really struggling get that help both financially and personally.”

Consumers are not automatically cut off if they do not pay energy bills, but UK charities have warned a group urging consumers not to pay this winter that there could be serious consequences.

Zahawi said he was “deeply concerned” about vulnerable people freezing this winter because they cannot afford to turn their heating on.

He said that a fresh package of support would “go beyond [the £37bn] because we know we need to send the message to Mr Putin that this strategy is not going to work, which is why we have to target help to the most vulnerable to allow us to stretch that help as, far as we can”.

Gas prices have been forced higher as Vladimir Putin’s regime has slashed gas supplies from Russia into Europe in retaliation for sanctions imposed following the invasion of Ukraine, pushing up prices for consumers and causing fears over blackouts this winter. Last week the energy regulator, Ofgem, said the next price cap, introduced in October, would reach £3,549.

Zahawi said there were “no easy options” to tackle the crisis but the Treasury was “preparing all the options”.

Asked if there are two separate plans being worked up, depending on whether Liz