Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has breathed a 'sigh of relief' following the chancellor's cost of living announcements in the House of Commons today.
Posting his response video on Twitter, Mr Lewis described how the new support package had exceeded his expectations and 'mirrored' a lot of what he asked for when he last spoke to the chancellor.
Mr Lewis said: "It is very close to what I asked for when I spoke to him on the phone on Monday I've written up exactly what my asks where and it's mirrored that pretty well." He added: "I think it's quite a good package and is probably better than I expected it to be so I am breathing a sigh of relief."
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The savings expert focused on the direct effect the package will have on consumers. He noted that the measures for those on benefits receiving the direct £650 one-off payment plus those receiving extra money who are on disability benefits as well as pensioners is exactly what he was hoping for.
Concluding his video, Mr Lewis summarised: "This looks to be a relatively generous package and I think they have listened I would like o see it earlier but better late than never."
He also posted a list of measures of what he wanted to be announced by Mr Sunak which included some headers such as 'help is needed soon', 'urgent priority is for those who face choosing between freezing and starving' and 'targeted support is needed for people with disabilities'. Once the measures were announced, Mr Lewis retweeted his list, saying: "Wow just reading this back, I think he was listening!"
Today, Mr Sunak's announcements included a £400 discount for millions of households on their energy bills plus a one-off payment of £650 to more than eight million low-income households on benefits and extra support to pensioner households those receiving disability benefits.
The package would also mean that almost all of the eight million most vulnerable households would receive at least £1,200 of support, including a £150 council tax rebate which was previously announced. A further £500 million will also be allocated to the fund administered by councils to help households facing extra hardships.
The chancellor told MPs: “The high inflation we are experiencing now is causing acute distress to the people of this country.”
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