Keir Starmer signals winter support for household bills amid energy price shock

Any taxpayer-funded financial help will be likely to go to poorest households, rather than to everyone, PM indicates Ministers are looking at providing support for household bills next winter, Keir Starmer said, as he suggested the energy price shock unleashed by the Iran conflict could continue for months to come. The prime minister indicated he would prefer to focus any taxpayer-funded help on the poorest households, rather than an expensive universal bailout, ahead of an emergency meeting on the economic fallout of the Middle East crisis. Addressing the Commons liaison committee on Monday, he said there would not necessarily be a “quick and early end” to the conflict, despite Donald Trump postponing US strikes on Iranian power plants. Starmer promised to look at “every lever that’s available” to help people cope with the cost of living impact, with ministers understood to be discussing contingency plans at the Cobra meeting, which will be attended by the governor of the Bank of England. “We’re looking across the board at what can be done, whether it’s cost of living or the support we need to put in. I want to make sure we’ve examined all the appropriate levers that we can pull,”