A new round of cost of living payments for some UK residents are tipped to be announced on Thursday, November 17. Reports suggest Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been drawing up plans to repeat the £650, £150 and £300 targeted payments the hard-up groups are receiving this year - but not the £400 that is going to all households.
A full package of energy bills support will be announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in Thursday's Autumn Statement. Multiple government sources did not deny reports in The Times that it would repeat the three cost-of-living payments. That would hand another £650 to 8.2million households on means-tested benefits including Universal Credit, Tax Credits and Pension Credit.
Another £150 would go to about 6.3million people on disability benefits including Personal Independence Payment. And it would give another £300 to more than 8million pensioner households who already receive a Winter Fuel Payment, The Mirror reports.
Some pensioner households would be in all three groups - getting £1,100 of support.
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The statement is also set to announce a minimum wage rise in April, with reports it could go up from £9.50 to £10.40 an hour.
But the Budget is also set to confirm the £2,500 cap on average energy bills will end in April, sending bills soaring by hundreds of pounds.
Reports claim the Energy Price Guarantee will move from capping average bills at £2,500 to as much as £3,100 a year - nearly £2,000 higher than 2021.
Mr Hunt is rooting out £55billion of tax rises and spending cuts, including a council tax hike that will push the average bill over £2,000 a year.
And new figures show Brits have already suffered a 2.7% real-terms pay cut in the last year as inflation rockets.
Resolution Foundation chief executive Torsten Bell warned the one-off payments would create a “big cliff edge” for those close to the limit.
“Someone earning £1 too much misses out on hundreds of pounds of support," he said.
"Raising the level of the energy price guarantee will reduce the cost to the taxpayer of support.
“But [it will] be particularly bad news for households with high energy bills."
Benefits and the state pension are also widely expected to rise with 10.1% after plans for a real-terms cut sparked outcry.
That would mean a rise of around £18.70 on the New State Pension, from £185.15 to £203.85.
The Prime Minister told reporters on the way to the G20 summit: “I care very much about… pensioners, particularly when it comes to things like energy and heating because they are especially vulnerable to cold weather.
“I am someone who understands the particular challenge of pensioners. They will always be at the forefront of my mind."
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