“I will tackle the energy crisis caused by Putin’s war. I will take action this week to tackle our energy bills and secure our future energy supply.” He named NHS reform as another key driver, saying: “I will make sure people can get the doctors appointments and NHS services they need. We will put our health services on a solid footing.” There was praise for her predecessor as she said: “Boris Johnson delivered Brexit, the Covid vaccine and stood up to Russian aggression. History will see him as a prime minister of enormous importance.” Mrs Truss spoke of the “grit, courage and determination” of the British people, saying: “I know we have what it takes to meet these challenges. Of course it won’t be easy. But we can do it. We will transform Britain into a nation of ambition.” New details have emerged of the massive support package it is preparing to announce later this week to protect homes and businesses from rising energy bills. All 28 million households are expected to be protected by 2024 in an intervention that goes further and lasts longer than Labour’s proposals. Annual energy bills for the average household will be frozen at around £2,500, with the exact amount yet to be named. The existing £400 discount for each household will remain, further reducing bills. It means average households will pay almost £2,000 a year – roughly the amount of the current price cap. It was due to rise to £3,549 next month. Truss’ team rejected proposals by energy companies for consumers to pay back some of the support through higher prices over the next 10 or 20 years. The business support package is more complex and still under development. One option is to freeze energy costs, but implementing such a move quickly would be difficult. The total cost to the taxpayer is uncertain and will depend on the changing cost of energy. Bloomberg cited economists who suggested it could be as high as 200 billion pounds, but government figures said that was too high.
