Budget 2026: John Healey scraps £108 energy bill charge paid by millions of Britons

Live Budget 2026 Live: John Healey scraps £108 energy bill charge paid by millions of Britons Stay up-to-date with all the latest political coverage from GB News below John Healey has confirmed that tens of millions of households will no longer pay standing charges on their gas bills, ahead of his first Budget. The Chancellor will announce today an end to the "unfair and outdated practice" for Britons. He will ask Ofgem to deliver removal of these charges, which are £108 a year for the typical household on average, in 2027 or "as soon as possible after".

Instead, Britons will pay a fixed cost on the unit rate, which could save 60 per cent of Britons an average of £45 off their annual bill. Mr Healey said of the move: "Gas standing charges are unfair and outdated so I am scrapping them to give millions of households a bit of breathing space. "My Budget will draw a line in the sand on an energy policy that has failed British billpayers for years, letting extra costs on bills pile high and leaving households even more exposed to global shocks."

The Government hopes the Budget will "draw a line in the sand" on UK energy policy that has seen "wrong turns taken for over four decades". The Prime Minister has previously spoken about reforming a broken energy market, so it better serves the public interest, rather than piling costs to bills and leaving British households even more exposed in an uncertain world. Andy Burnham said: "Abolishing gas standing charges is about basic fairness and giving people more control over their bills.

"I am determined to reform our broken energy market, so it better serves the public interest." FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY… Sign up to the Politics Newsletter I agree to receive updates and information about my account, the GB News Community, and related products and services from GB News. Email address Sign up By signing up you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and Community Rules. Thank you for signing up!

See the latest from GB News here . Choose GB News on Google - add us as a preferred source Choose GB News Support GB News Champion free speech and independent journalism while unlocking exclusive benefits. Support us Follow for the LATEST UPDATES throughout the day... Chancellor expected to hand 'billions' to benefits claimants in Budget Chancellor John Healey is expected to hand out "billions" to benefits claimants as he dodges a reform of Britain's ballooning welfare bill.

Ahead of today's Budget statement, it has been revealed that he is expected to increase the tax burden to the highest level on record to help boost welfare handouts. Labour sources have told the Daily Mail that Mr Healey has set aside "£5.5billion to support a 3.5 per cent increase to benefits", paid to 10 million people. Official projections suggest the sickness benefits bill will jump to £109billion by the end of the decade. Share John Healey 'cannot protect Britons' from 'global shocks' adding to cost of living crisis Chancellor John Healey is set to admit he "cannot protect Britons" from the "global shocks" which are adding to the surging cost of living crisis.

He is expected to say he does want to give families "breathing space" with everyday costs, especially soaring food and energy bills. The Chancellor said: “We can’t stop these shocks that hit Britain, but we can make Britain more resilient when they do. The world’s a highly uncertain place. "Conflicts abroad are pushing up energy prices, and the cost of living here at home – piling pressure on the families, on businesses, and on our public finances."

Share Gas standing charge scrap will bring 'real relief' to billpayers, anti-fuel poverty campaigner says Co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition Simon Francis has said the decision to remove gas standing charges would bring "real relief" to many low-income households who use "very little energy". He said: "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. But despite the positives of the gas standing charges proposal, millions of households won’t see a saving. "This means Ministers have serious questions to answer about who they are and, if they are vulnerable or on low incomes but have high energy needs, how they will be protected." Share Martin Lewis shook hands with John Healey as he visited No11 this morning Martin Lewis visits No11 for crunch talks with John Healey ahead of Budget Financial expert Martin Lewis has visited Downing Street ahead of Chancellor John Healey's Budget.

Mr Lewis met with the Government for talks ahead of Mr Healey's first Autumn Statement, where he has already announced cuts to standing charges on gas bills. Share John Healey says Budget will move towards cutting energy bills 'for good' John Healey has promised to use his first Budget to move to cut energy bills "for good" as Labour seeks to ease surging costs for households and businesses. The Chancellor is expected to announce a freeze in fuel duty and plans for longer-term reforms, saying his focus would be on making Britain "more resilient" to global shocks following the Iran war.

In a video message before he delivers the autumn statement on Wednesday, Mr Healey acknowledged the country was facing a "difficult moment" and promised changes would be made "responsibly" within Labour’s fiscal rules. He said: "Breathing space for today and fresh hope for the future. That’s what today’s Budget will deliver. "The world’s a highly uncertain place. Conflicts abroad are pushing up energy prices, and the cost of living here at home is piling pressure on families, on businesses, and on our public finances.

"But Britain’s economy is showing real signs of resilience: investments up, productivity is growing, and we had the joint fastest growth in the G7 in the first half of this year." Mr Healey added: "This Budget is designed to give households breathing space from some of the everyday costs, provide targeted support for businesses and self-employed people, and to start the long-term action needed to get energy costs down for good." Share The Chancellor is set to scrap standing charges on gas bills Chancellor will scrap standing charges from gas bills for Britons Chancellor John Healey will scrap standing charges from household bills for Britons from 2027 "or as soon as possible after", the Treasury said.

Ahead of today's Budget, the Government has announced plans to save Britons an average of £45 per year on their bills. Instead of the standing charges, homeowners will pay fixed costs on the unit rate. Mr Healey said of the move: "Gas standing charges are unfair and outdated so I am scrapping them to give millions of households a bit of breathing space. "My Budget will draw a line in the sand on an energy policy that has failed British billpayers for years, letting extra costs on bills pile high and leaving households even more exposed to global shocks."

Share What do we know so far? Here's what we know so far ahead of John Healey's first budget: Firstly, The Sun reports Labour will cancel January’s planned increase in fuel duty and keep the levy rate frozen for the 16th year at 52p per litre. Labour will also make a higher tax-free mileage allowance of 55p permanent and slash tariffs on a range of popular foods, including chocolate, beans and gherkins, to make them cheaper for shoppers.

Also, the minimum wage will reportedly rise by nearly four per cent, ending the trend of hiking it faster for those aged 18 to 20 than for older workers, and instead raising it roughly in line with the rate for over 21-year-olds. Lastly, Labour will scrap the Carers’ Allowance cliff edge, which has penalised unpaid carers for earning even a few pence per week over their earnings limit. Share Here's what the opposition parties are saying: With John Healey's first budget just hours away, here's what all the opposition parties have to say ahead of Labour's major economic announcement: Conservative shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith said Mr Healey "must stop maxing out the nation's credit card, tackle the out-of-control welfare bill and address rising global threats."

He added if the Chancellor "fudges defence spending rather than properly funding three per cent by 2030 in his budget, he must resign". Reform UK's Robert Jenrick said Mr Healey "can't keep fiddling while the economy burns", adding "the only way to give hardworking families and businesses relief is to first reduce spending". Elsewhere, Green Party Treasury spokeswoman Dr Ellie Chowns said: "Britain needs a genuinely bold Budget, one which taxes extreme wealth and profits fairly, makes life more affordable for struggling households and invests in our long-term climate resilience.

"Huge inequality and climate breakdown cannot be tackled by tinkering around the edges." Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said Labour must "cut energy bills, slash fuel duty and reduce VAT on our treasured pubs, restaurants and cafes." Share British shopkeepers made the plea to the Chancellor British shopkeepers make last-ditch plea to John Healey amid existential threat from dodgy vape shops British shopkeepers have banded together to issue a last-ditch plea to John Healey as dodgy vape shops blight UK high streets.

Last night, convenience store owners raised the alarm that rogue stores are driving hard-working, law-abiding Britons from honest jobs. Earlier this year, the Home Secretary announced £30million in funding to raid and close thousands of illegal shops, arrest dodgy bosses and seize dirty cash. But, in a joint statement, seen by GB News, store directors Natalie Lightfoot of Londis Solo Convenience in Glasgow, Trudy Davies of Woodnam & Davies News in Llanidloes, Wales, and Paul Cheema of Malcolm’s in Coventry said existing structures were not enough to protect family businesses.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE. Share Andy Burnham orders Miatta Fahnbulleh to examine scrapping standing charges from gas bills Prime Minister Andy Burnham has also ordered the Chancellor and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh to examine scrapping standing charges from gas bills. According to the Times, the Chancellor will announce plans to scrap green levies from energy bills and move them to general taxation, as well as commit the Government to delinking gas and electricity prices.

He will have limited scope for big giveaways because of stretched public finances, made worse by international market turmoil caused by the Iran war, and little has been leaked ahead of his statement on Wednesday. Mr Healey is sticking with the fiscal rules set by predecessor Rachel Reeves, requiring day-to-day spending to be financed by taxes rather than borrowing by 2029/30 and that public debt as a share of the economy should fall in the same year.

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