Chancellor right to target energy bill support at vulnerable customers rather than repeat than blank cheque mistake of the last energy crisis 24 March 2026 The Chancellor is right to say that support for families struggling with high energy bills will be targeted at ‘those who need it the most’, rather than repeat the universal blank cheque approach of the past, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the Chancellor’s statement on energy bills. Recent Resolution Foundation research has found that a targeted scheme would deliver far greater support for families most impacted by an energy price shock than a universal one. Specifically, it finds that a new social tariff (a discount for lower income households) could provide around £300 a year of support, on average, to around two-in-five customers. This would be far better than giving all customers, including those who are already protected by fixed price deals, around £100 off their bills. Both would cost around £3.7 billion a year. Ruth Curtice, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, said: “The Chancellor is right to say that the Government will look to target support with energy bills at families that need it the most, rather than repeat the blank cheque approach of the last crisis. It’s essential we avoid schemes with uncapped costs that can lead to a doom loop of higher interest rates and higher borrowing. “The government should use the coming months to develop the ability to target both on income and energy need, so that support is ready for when temperatures start to drop.”
