The controversy is over the October measure – which requires repayments of 40 40 a year for the next five years – as these bills will land as fuel costs are expected to continue to rise sharply. This week, the chancellor rejected criticism that the “heat now, pay later” system is creating problems for the future, telling lawmakers: “It’s not a debt. It’s not a loan. “ But when he was told by Northern Ireland Minister Brandon Lewis that 200 200 was “a loan let ‘s remember”, he replied briefly: “Yes” – before adding: “No, I said that”. The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has warned that vulnerable families will be pushed further into debt by the measure, also criticizing the decision to make it mandatory. Labor has called it a “scam”, claiming that about a million people who will not receive it – first-time buyers, divorced couples, students and caregivers – will continue to be responsible for future charges. “There are a million people who are not going to get the. 200, but they have to get their money back,” said Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor. But in the wake of fires in the Communities Finance Ministry committee on Monday, Mr Sunak denied that he was forcing people to take on more debt, saying: “It’s wrong to worry people that this is happening, because it obviously is not.” The chancellor insisted: “It is not a debt. It is not a loan. There is no interest in that. “No one’s credit rating is affected.” He added: “Describing it as a loan is wrong. It distributes the impact of a price increase in five years instead of having to deal with it in one go at first. “I think that’s good.” Mr Lewis stumbled upon his defense, saying he had not given more help to families in the cost-of-living crisis, telling BBC Radio 4: “We are already at record levels of borrowing since World War II.” Analysts have warned that the UK is heading for the worst drop in living standards since the 1950s and an eruption of poverty that will push 500,000 more children below the threshold. Pensions and benefits are only up 3.1 percent this month – but inflation is projected to reach 8 or 9 percent later this year. But Mr Lewis argued that the government was “putting 22 22 billion in people’s pockets”, pointing to a higher minimum wage and the highest National Security threshold since June. “We have to acknowledge that there is huge international pressure as we come out of Covid in terms of energy prices. “Obviously the war in Ukraine is putting a lot of pressure on us right now.”