Economy Update

Debate between Rishi Sunak and Matthew Pennycook

Thursday 26th May 2022 Commons Chamber

[Rishi Sunak]

My right hon. Friend makes some excellent points, particularly his macroeconomic point about the geopolitics that we are experiencing at the moment. I am happy to give him my assurance that I will continue to engage with consumer champions such as Martin Lewis. He has provided thoughtful and interesting suggestions, and I hope he will see that many of those have been met in the package we have announced today.

[Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)]

Why has the Chancellor not provided additional targeted support to the half a million communal heating system customers who are not protected by the energy price cap?

[Rishi Sunak]

We have not changed the structure of how the price cap works—it covers what it covers. But what we have done is provide discretionary funding—already half a billion pounds this year between spring and autumn, and now an additional half a billion pounds from October through to next spring—to pick up all those who might be in particular circumstances that need additional assistance.