The Coalition has been quoted in The I and the Morning Star, responding to the ongoing energy crisis.
A spokesperson said:
While there seems to be plenty of political support for subsidies for high energy use firms, there is silence on supporting the millions facing fuel poverty this winter.Of course there is a balancing act to play between calling for an increased payments and extending the scope of existing schemes.But we know there is a crisis facing the country this winter and so in addition to extending existing schemes, additional short-term energy debt relief measures will be needed.As a starting point everyone who is eligible for the cold weather payment should also get the winter fuel payment.This would mean extending the payment to broadly the same cohort who are eligible for the Warm Home Discount, this includes households in receipt of Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance as well as Universal Credit.This should help an additional 2.6 million households across the UK. If paid at the higher level this would help counter the recent rise in energy prices covered by the Ofgem price cap.These short term changes will buy the government time to work out a longer-term solution which will be needed from 1 April when the price cap is increased again.