Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 21 September 2022.

The Prime Minister met the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, at the UN General Assembly in New York today.

The leaders agreed on the value of the UK-Lithuania defence relationship and welcomed our close cooperation through NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force.

They underscored the importance of likeminded countries working together to counter malign threats, increase our energy independence and end economic coercion by authoritarian states.

The Prime Minister stressed the UK’s support for Lithuania in its ongoing trade dispute with China.

The Prime Minister and President Nauseda welcomed the recent news of gains by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. These demonstrate, once again, that Ukraine’s counter-offensive can succeed with proper international – economic and military – support.

The press release issued by Downing Street on 21 September 2022.

New government scheme will see energy prices for non-domestic energy customers such as businesses, charities and public sector organisations cut – protecting them from rising energy costs

government work with suppliers will reduce wholesale energy costs – and the significant rises in bills that businesses have seen
this support is in addition to the Energy Price Guarantee for households, with further measures today to strengthen support for families across the United Kingdom, including those in rentals or park homes

New support for households, businesses and public sector organisations facing rising energy bills in Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been unveiled by Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg today (Wednesday 21 September) – supporting growth, preventing unnecessary insolvencies and protecting jobs.

Through a new government Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers (including all UK businesses, the voluntary sector like charities and the public sector such as schools and hospitals) whose current gas and electricity prices have been significantly inflated in light of global energy prices. This support will be equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households.

It will apply to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022, as well as to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts. It will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, running for an initial 6 month period for all non-domestic energy users. The savings will be first seen in October bills, which are typically received in November.

As with the Energy Price Guarantee for households, customers do not need to take action or apply to the scheme to access the support. Support (in the form of a p/kWh discount) will automatically be applied to bills.

To administer support, the government has set a Supported Wholesale Price – expected to be £211 per MWh for electricity and £75 per MWh for gas, less than half the wholesale prices anticipated this winter – which is a discounted price per unit of gas and electricity. This is equivalent to the wholesale element of the Energy Price Guarantee for households. It includes the removal of green levies paid by non-domestic customers who receive support under the scheme.

The level of price reduction for each business will vary depending on their contract type and circumstances:

non-domestic customers on existing fixed price contracts will be eligible for support as long as the contract was agreed on or after 1 April 2022. Provided that the wholesale element of the price the customer is paying is above the Government Supported Price, their per unit energy costs will automatically be reduced by the relevant p/kWh for the duration of the Scheme. Customers entering new fixed price contracts after 1 October will receive support on the same basis

those on default, deemed or variable tariffs will receive a per-unit discount on energy costs, up to a maximum of the difference between the Supported Price and the average expected wholesale price over the period of the Scheme. The amount of this Maximum Discount is likely to be around £405/MWh for electricity and £115/MWh for gas, subject to wholesale market developments. Non-domestic customers on default or variable tariffs will therefore pay reduced bills, but these will still change over time and may still be subject to price increases. This is why the government is working with suppliers to ensure all their customers in England, Scotland and Wales are given the opportunity to switch to a fixed contract/tariff for the duration of the scheme if they wish, underpinned by the government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme support
for businesses on flexible purchase contracts, typically some of the largest energy-using businesses, the level of reduction offered will be calculated by suppliers according to the specifics of that company’s contract and will also be subject to the Maximum Discount

A parallel scheme, based on the same criteria and offering comparable support, but recognising the different market fundamentals, will be established in Northern Ireland.

If you are not connected to either the gas or electricity grid, equivalent support will also be provided for non-domestic consumers who use heating oil or alternative fuels instead of gas. Further detail on this will be announced shortly.

We will publish a review into the operation of the scheme in three months to inform decisions on future support after March 2023. The review will focus in particular on identifying the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how the government will continue assisting them with energy costs.

Prime Minister Liz Truss said:

“I understand the huge pressure businesses, charities and public sector organisations are facing with their energy bills, which is why we are taking immediate action to support them over the winter and protect jobs and livelihoods.

As we are doing for consumers, our new scheme will keep their energy bills down from October, providing certainty and peace of mind.

At the same time, we are boosting Britain’s homegrown energy supply so we fix the root cause of the issues we are facing and ensure greater energy security for us all.”

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng said:

“We have stepped in to stop businesses collapsing, protect jobs, and limit inflation.

And with our plans to boost home-grown energy supply, we will bring security to the sector, growth to the economy and secure a better deal for consumers.”

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said:

“We have seen an unprecedented rise in energy prices following Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, which has affected consumers up and down the country and businesses of all sizes.

The help we are already putting in place will save families money off their bills, and the government’s plans for businesses, charities and public sector organisations will give them the equivalent level of support.

This, alongside the measures we are taking to boost the amount of domestic energy we produce to improve both energy security and supply, will increase growth, protect jobs and support families with their cost of living this winter.”

Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality said:

“This intervention is unprecedented and it is extremely welcome that government has listened to hospitality businesses facing an uncertain winter. We particularly welcome its inclusiveness – from the smallest companies to the largest – all of which combine to provide a huge number of jobs, which are now much more secure.

The government has recognised the vulnerability of hospitality as a sector, and we will continue to work with the government, to ensure that there is no cliff edge when these measures fall away.”

Support for households in Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Today’s announcement follows the launch of the Energy Price Guarantee for households in Great Britain, under which a typical household will pay on average £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years from 1 October.

The scheme limits the price suppliers can charge customers for units of gas and electricity, taking account of the Exchequer temporarily funding for two years environmental and social costs, including green levies – worth around £150 – which are currently included in domestic energy bills. The guarantee supersedes the existing price cap and is expected to save the average household £1,000 a year based on current energy prices from October.

It also comes in addition to the announced £400 energy bills discount for all households and together, they will bring costs close to where the energy price cap currently stands.

Today, the Business Secretary also confirmed equivalent support for households in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Energy Price Guarantee will offer households the same level of gas and electricity bill support as the equivalent scheme in Great Britain.

Households in Northern Ireland will also receive a £400 discount on bills through the Northern Ireland Energy Bills Support Scheme (NI EBSS), the same support as is available in Great Britain.

For the Energy Price Guarantee, the scheme will still work through electricity and gas bills. The scheme will provide households in Northern Ireland with equivalent financial support with their electricity and gas bills as for those in Great Britain. Energy suppliers will reduce bills by a unit price reduction of up to 17p/kWh for electricity and 4.2p/kWh for gas, and there is no need to take any action to receive this support. This will take effect from November, but the government will ensure households receive support so they will see the same benefit overall as those households in Great Britain backdating support for October bills through bills from November.

Targeted support

The government also announced today further details on the separate Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) to ensure that the £400 discount to households starting from October will also be available to the 1% of households who would not otherwise have received this support.

Additional funding will be made available so that £400 payments will be extended to include people such as park home residents and those tenants whose landlords pay for their energy via a commercial contract. The government is committed to ensuring such households receive the same support for their energy bills. The government will introduce legislation to make sure landlords pass the EBSS discount on to tenants who pay all-inclusive bills.

The government will also provide an additional payment of £100 to households across the UK who are not able to receive support for their heating costs through the Energy Price Guarantee. This might be because they live in an area of the UK that is not served by the gas grid and is to compensate for the rising costs of alternative fuels such as heating oil.

 

The press release issued by Downing Street on 21 September 2022.

Prime Minister Liz Truss will use a speech in New York today (Wednesday) to warn fellow democratic leaders against any complacency when it comes to defending our values and preserving a world order that rewards freedom.

At the first ever session of the UN General Assembly held in the shadow of a large-scale war of aggression in Europe, the Prime Minister will highlight the threat from authoritarian states working to undermine security and stability around the world.

She will outline her vision for this new, more competitive era, which will require likeminded democracies to fight to defend our ideals. This fight begins with ensuring the UK and its partners have the strong economic foundations they need to constrain authoritarianism.

The Prime Minister will outline her plans to build a British economy which attracts growth by rewarding innovation, championing investment and enterprise, and welcoming the best talent around the world.

She will also set out the steps the Government is taking to ensure the British economy is free from malign interference. This includes increasing our energy independence and safeguarding the security of our supply chains.

In her speech, the Prime Minister is expected to say:

The commitment to hope and progress must begin at home – in the lives of every citizen that we serve…

…We want people to keep more of the money they earn, because we believe that freedom trumps instruction…

…We are reforming our economy to get Britain moving forward once again. The free world needs this economic strength and resilience to push back against authoritarian aggression and win this new era of strategic competition…

…We will no longer be strategically dependent on those who seek to weaponise the global economy.

As the UK boosts the dynamism and resilience of our own economy, the Prime Minister will also make the case for democracies working together to protect one another’s economic security.

The strength of democratic economies, rooted as they are in the aspirations of their people, is a clear counterpoint to autocratic states, which sow the seeds of their own demise by stifling aspiration and creativity.

The Prime Minister will make the case for harnessing that strength and denying authoritarian states the opportunity to manipulate the global economy.

She will tell the UN General Assembly that the G7 and other likeminded partners must act as an economic NATO, collectively defending our prosperity and coming to the aid of any partner targeted by an aggressive regime.

This economic security goes hand in hand with physical security. The Prime Minister will therefore reiterate her commitment to protecting the UK and our allies, including by increasing defence spending to 3% of UK GDP on defence by 2030.

The Prime Minister is expected to say:

Just as we are building a plan for growth at home, we are also developing a new blueprint for our engagement with the world.

We will build resilience and collective security – because they are vital for freedom and democracy. We will be a reliable, trustworthy and dynamic partner.

To ensure the UK’s diplomatic, military and security architecture is keeping pace with evolving threat posed by hostile nations, the Prime Minister has commissioned an update to the Integrated Review.

The UK’s Integrated Review of security, defence, development and foreign policy was published in March 2021 – before Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine created the greatest security challenge ever experienced by NATO.

Professor John Bew, the Prime Minister’s special adviser for foreign affairs and defence, will lead a Downing Street process to update the review.

The refreshed strategy will ensure we are investing in the strategic capabilities and alliances we need to stand firm against coercion from authoritarian powers like Russia and China. The update is expected to be published by the end of this year.

By properly investing in defence, the Prime Minister will ensure that the UK maintains our position as the leading security actor in Europe, so that we are ready to stand up for peace, prosperity and freedom across the world – just as we have done in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister will highlight these efforts in her speech. She will pay tribute to the bravery and determination of the Ukrainian people, and commit to continue standing up for human rights and democracy around the world.

The Prime Minister is expected to say:

This is a decisive moment in British history, in the history of this organisation, and in the history of freedom.

The story of 2022 could have been that of an authoritarian state rolling its tanks over the border of a peaceful neighbour and subjugating its people.

Instead, it is the story of freedom fighting back… But this must not be a one off….

…Britain’s commitment to this is total.

Together with our friends and allies around the world, we will continue to champion freedom, sovereign and democracy.

And we will define this new era as one of hope and progress.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 20 September 2022.

The Prime Minister met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the UN General Assembly in New York today.

Prime Minister Kishida expressed his condolences on the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. The Prime Minister thanked him for his words and said it was a great honour for the UK to receive Their Imperial Highnesses at the state funeral.

Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the UK’s commitment to Japan and the Indo-Pacific region, as exemplified by our Dialogue Partnership with ASEAN, AUKUS and our application to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Kishida for his support for the UK’s application.

The leaders looked forward to expanding the UK-Japan relationship, both if the UK joins the CPTPP and through investments in our shared defence and security such as the Future Combat Air System programme.

The Prime Minister expressed her admiration for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economic doctrine and outlined her plans for transforming the British economy to boost economic growth. The leaders agreed to work together to strengthen our shared economic and energy security.

“The Prime Minister condemned China’s recent provocations over Taiwan, which threatened Japan’s Special Economic Zone. The leaders resolved to work together to tackle the strategic threat posed by China.

“The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Kishida agreed on the importance of likeminded democracies working together, including through international institutions like the G7, to constrain economic, security and other threats from authoritarian regimes.”