The £20-a-week Universal Credit increase will end on 6 October (the same day as Boris Johnson’s Conservative conference speech). The average adult on a standard allowance will soon see their payments drop by almost £90 a month. And if that wasn’t enough for struggling families, surging gas and electricity prices will put up energy bills for the majority of UK households by more than £100 a year.
Fifty five per cent of households are now set to pay more on their energy bills than previously.
Eleven million households will have their average fuel bills rise by at least £139 a year, an increase of over 12 per cent. Four million households, meanwhile, will see their average fuel bills rise by £153 a year, an increase of more than 13 per cent.