Latest on the Race

[happy daze john in oz]

Millions of households will receive a £400 discount on their energy bills, and a £5bn tax will be levied on oil and gas giants as Rishi Sunak moved to counter the soaring cost of living.

The chancellor was forced to unveil emergency measures as part of a £15bn package to tackle the impact of soaring inflation, which has reached a 40-year high.

Measures include a £650 payment for 8 million of the worst-off households, a one-off £300 payment to 8 million pensioner households and £150 each to 6 million disabled people.

The plans will be funded by around £10bn of extra borrowing, but Mr Sunak insisted he had a “responsible fiscal policy”.

Mr Sunak also scrapped his £200 energy bills loan, replacing it instead with a £400 grant, available to all households. He said that tax breaks for innovation would ensure the windfall tax did not reduce investment in green power.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said Mr Sunak’s announcement showed the Labour Party was “winning the battle of ideas”, adding: “This government’s dither and delay is costing the country dearly.”

As he began his statement to MPs, Mr Sunak was heckled with shouts of “what took you so long” and “about time”.

[happy daze john in oz]

Put it in the wrong place, should be in race for leader.
Sorry about that but it was late last night

[Doc Vernon]

The Bottle must have been empty John!

[happy daze john in oz]

The Bottle must have been empty John!

Not quite Vernon but working hard on it. LOL