Budget 2026 live: chancellor says scrapping gas standing charges will save 60% of homes £45 a year

John Healey says UK faces ‘difficult moment’ as he prepares to deliver first budget of Andy Burnham’s government You be the chancellor: play our budget game to see if you can balance the books But there has been a more positive response from Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition.

He said: Removing the gas standing charge will bring real relief to many low-income households who use very little energy and for prepayment customers it could stop debt building up in the summer months. It’s also welcome that the chancellor acknowledges that wider measures are needed to bring down bills and we will wait to see if he matches these words with more action in the budget later. Moving levies off electricity bills and into general taxation, as reported, would also be a positive step. We know there’s a problem with energy prices coming down the track. That’s why the Conservatives last year actually announced that cheap energy plan to get rid of VAT on…