Daily Mirror, on UK Politics, 30 October 2026

7.3out of 10Serious

£100 energy bill payment

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.2 findings

the new £100 Household Energy Payment. The new scheme has been introduced by Chancellor John Healey in Andy Burnham's first budget as Prime Minister as energy bills rise amid conflict in the Middle East. Healey said he will 'create immediate breathing space for families' with the rising cost of living, and also help bill-payers long-term by removing standing charges from gas bills and supporting households with energy debt.

The Chancellor announced that around 20 million households will get a £100 payment from the government to help with energy bills this winter. The £2.6 billion scheme aims to take pressure off households during the coldest months and see people through to the spring, reports the Manchester Evening News . Delivering the Budget, Mr Healey said: “Let me say this to families at home. I know that with the conflict in the Middle East, rising energy bills are a real worry.

I know that people look to Government at times like this, not to solve all their problems, but to give them a bit of breathing space. “So today I’m taking one further step. This winter, for 20 million households in council tax bands A to D, I am announcing a £100 energy payment for households, paid directly into people’s bank accounts to deal with rising energy bills. That’s a £2.6 billion scheme to take the pressure off in the coldest months and see people though to the spring.”

Up to 20 million households will be eligible, including an estimated 83 per cent of fuel stressed households in England, and 88 per cent of households in the bottom three income deciles. Households in England are eligible for the Household Energy Payment if they are liable for paying council tax on, and live in, a property in council tax bands A to D as their main home. This will include most households exempt from council tax, with full eligibility criteria to be published in due course, the government says.

The payments will be made from January 2027 and paid directly into bank accounts. Anyone who is paying council tax on, and living in, a property outside of council tax bands A to D is not eligible for the payment. Second homes, empty properties or households where the householder isn’t responsible for paying council tax are also not eligible. According to the ONS, .

If you pay council by direct debit and live in bands A to D, you don’t need to do anything as the rebate will be paid directly into your bank account. If you don’t pay by direct debit, your council will invite you to apply for the rebate directly. The government warns: "Nobody other than your council should get in touch asking you to claim the rebate. Only give out your personal information if you are certain it is your local council contacting you.

If you’re unsure whether a message is genuine, double check with your council."

Read the original article on mirror.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
What we found (2)

The Mirror tells readers in its headline and opening line that Andy Burnham's government has confirmed 9 million households will miss the £100 energy payment. The article itself shows the figure is its own sum, made by taking up to 20 million eligible households in England from an ONS count of 29 million households across the whole UK. That mismatched base inflates the number of households said to miss out, and the outlet then hands the figure to the government as a confirmation.

  1. Headline goes beyond the article

    Serious

    “Andy Burnham confirms 9 million households NOT getting”

    Why this matters
    The headline says "Andy Burnham confirms" a figure of 9 million households left out of the payment.
    The impression it gives
    The Prime Minister or his government announced that 9 million households will not get the £100.
    The context
    The body gives no such statement from Burnham or the government. The 9 million appears only as the Mirror's own arithmetic, taking 20 million eligible households from an ONS total of 29 million.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“so around 9 million households will miss out on the payment”
    • Elsewhere in the article“Up to 20 million households will be eligible”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Around 20 million households in England will get a £100 energy payment; the Mirror estimates millions more will not.

  2. Uses figures that mislead

    Serious

    “there are 29 million households in the UK - so around 9 million households will miss out on the payment”

    Why this matters
    The Mirror subtracts the number of eligible households from a UK-wide household total to produce 9 million who "miss out".
    The impression it gives
    9 million households that could have been in the scheme are excluded from it.
    The context
    The article itself says the scheme covers households in England in council tax bands A to D. A UK total includes households in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which the article never mentions. So the wrong base inflates the figure for those excluded from an England-only scheme. Also, "up to 20 million" is a ceiling, not an exact count.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“Households in England are eligible for the Household Energy Payment”
    • Elsewhere in the article“Up to 20 million households will be eligible”

    Show it in the article

    “Andy Burnham 's government has confirmed nine million households will not be able to claim”

    Why this matters
    The opening sentence gives the 9 million figure to the government as something it "confirmed".
    The impression it gives
    The government itself put the number of excluded households at nine million.
    The context
    Later the article shows the figure is the outlet's own sum from an ONS UK household count. No government source for nine million is quoted anywhere in the piece.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“According to the ONS, there are 29 million households in the UK”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Up to 20 million households in England in council tax bands A to D will get the £100 payment. Households in higher bands, second homes and empty properties are not eligible.

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