Treasury source denies talk of energy crisis support package

The Business Secretary said that the government had been in talks over a support package, but an insider suggests otherwise

A source from inside the Treasury has rubbished reports that a potential support package could be delivered to energy companies struggling to keep up with demand as both electric and fuel prices soar. Brits were warned of a difficult winter earlier this month, with both the prospect of not only the Universal Credit cuts but an increase in their energy bills of at least £139 a month. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told Andrew Marr that he had been "working very closely" with the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, on financial aid for firms who are struggling in the energy sector. However, these rumours were quick to be quashed by the Treasury. https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1447139064684204037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1447139064684204037%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D293168action%3Dedit Shortly after his appearance on The Andrew Marr Show, ITV's Shehab Khan tweeted that he asked in an insider, "did Kwarteng just make that up?" - to which the source simply replied: "Yes". https://twitter.com/ShehabKhan/status/1447130585189728260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1447130585189728260%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.itv.com%2Fnews%2F2021-10-10%2Ftreasury-source-denies-talks-with-business-secretary-over-energy-crisis-support Conversely, he then went on to speak to Trevor Philips on Sky News and when he was asked if he had approached the Treasury about potential subsidies, Kwarteng replied: “No, I haven’t. We’ve already got subsidies in place and it’s very clear that a lot of those are working.

He went on to explain how “On the consumer side we’ve got an energy price cap, and on the industry side we have measures where we support industries, heavy electricity users", adding that he is "speaking to government colleagues, particularly in the Treasury to try and see a way through this.

Phillips pressed him for further clairifcation as it seems that, as well as fuel shortages and electricty bills going up, mixed messaging will also lead to concern in many homes across the UK. https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1447207794051100679?s=20