Bills are high and people are scared but trust me – the Government is on your side
WHEN I became Prime Minister, we could not afford to dither or delay.
Putin’s war had sparked a global economic crisis.
People across the United Kingdom will have heard their energy bills could spiral as high as £6,000 and beyond.
Families and businesses were set to be squeezed further by tax rises.
I know how hard it is and how worried people have been, so we had to act.
If we had not stepped up, the cost would have been unthinkable and unforgivable.
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Businesses would have gone bust. People would have lost their jobs.
Families would have faced misery this Christmas.
I promised that this Government would be on your side.
We acted decisively to help people and businesses with their energy bills and the cost of living.
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From today, our new Energy Price Guarantee will limit the price you pay for each unit of energy you use.
For an average household this means bills of around £2,500 a year, depending on how much energy you use.
That is a saving of around £1,000. Not just this year — but next year too.
We are continuing with current plans to give all households £400 off this winter.
That means we are altogether cutting the average energy bill by an expected £1,400 this year.
Our Energy Bill Relief Scheme also starts today.
This is designed to help businesses.
I know some small businesses, such as our local pubs, were facing astronomical bills. That wasn’t right.
I’m on the side of people who work hard.
That is why we are roughly halving business energy bills for the next six months.
Support for the most vulnerable businesses will continue beyond six months.
Yesterday I visited British Gas, which is delivering this support to millions of consumers as our biggest energy supplier.
My message to Sun readers is simple: This Government is on your side.
Liz Truss
These measures are expected to curb inflation by up to five percentage points, which will also help control the rising cost of the weekly shop.
I also want to ensure that we are never in this position again.
So I have a clear plan to fix the root cause of this crisis and take back our energy independence.
We are negotiating new long-term contracts with suppliers.
We are opening up more gas fields in the North Sea.
We are getting on with delivering more nuclear energy and more renewables.
We are accelerating all sources of home-grown energy production.
Instead of relying on foreign supplies, by 2040 we’ll be a net exporter of energy.
If we had not stepped up on energy bills and tax rises, the cost would have been unforgivable.
Liz Truss
Our response to the energy crisis makes up the bulk of the work we are doing to get Britain moving.
For too long we have been stuck debating how to divide up the economic pie, rather than grow the pie so everyone has a bigger slice.
The status quo is not working. For too long we have been held back by low growth and high taxes.
We need to get things done in this country more quickly.
So I am going to do things differently. It involves difficult decisions and does involve disruption in the short term.
Not everyone will like what we are doing, but I want to reassure the public that the Government has a clear plan that I believe is right for the country.
I am determined to take a new course to unleash our potential, get the economy growing and deliver a better future for everyone.
We are cutting taxes so you keep more of the money you earn.
We will benefit tens of millions of hard-working people across the country by reversing the rise in National Insurance and cutting the basic rate of income tax next year.
We have slashed stamp duty to help people climb the housing ladder, saving all movers up to £2,500 and first-time buyers up to £8,750.
Together, we will get through this and put Britain on the path to long-term success.
Liz Truss
We are going unashamedly for growth. Growth means more funding for our world-class public services, including the NHS, schools and police.
Growth means better job security and higher wages, better towns and high streets, better lives for you and your children and grandchildren. That is what I care about.
At the same time, we will keep an iron grip on the national finances as part of our commitment to sound money.
Next month we will set out how we will get debt down in the medium term.
We will drive reforms to build our economy for the new era.
We will harness the power of free enterprise to level up the country by creating new Investment Zones.
We are making the most of our new-found freedom outside the European Union.
By the end of next year, all the useless, EU-inspired red tape will be history.
We will ensure regulation is business friendly and pro-growth.
None of this will happen overnight but it’s the right thing to do. We will see it through.
I understand times are tough. Bills are high, people are worried.
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But my message to Sun readers is simple: This Government is on your side.
Together, we will get through this and put Britain on the path to long-term success.