Treasury officials reportedly want family doctors to assess whether sick or elderly people need a rebate for heating their homes. The idea, reported in the Sun newspaper on Sunday, is said to be one of several being discussed in government to help with the cost of living. But shadow health secretary Wes Streeting warned the plan would simply put more pressure on the NHS over the winter. “The Conservatives have lost the plot on the cost of living crisis and have no idea of the level of pressure on the NHS,” he said. Mr Streeting said Labor “already has the right recipe for tackling rising energy bills”. The opposition says it will pay energy companies to freeze the energy price cap where it is. This would prevent expected increases to over £3,000 over the winter. The Liberal Democrats have put forward a similar proposal, while the Green Party says prices are already too high and should be reduced to last year’s levels. Treasury officials apparently believe that using GPs to target energy bill rebates will save money because it will help target cash to people who need it most. The government has offered little in the way of concrete cost-of-living policies since the spring, with the Conservatives focused on a party leadership race. New proposals are expected from whoever wins the competition next month, with an emergency budget expected in the autumn. Meanwhile, the Times reports that National Grid is taking action and plans to reward customers for shifting energy-intensive activities to periods of low demand. A young girl dances in Belfast city center during the first Carnival Mela, in which participants from more than 20 different cultural groups wear traditional costumes to celebrate Northern Ireland’s cultural diversity PA Commuters queue for buses outside Victoria Underground station, which is closed due to the strike Getty Pupils celebrate their A level results at Norwich School, Norwich PA Rishi Sunak looks at a Ukrainian-supplied NLAW anti-tank launcher during a campaign visit to the Thales Defense System factory in Belfast as part of his campaign to become Conservative Party leader and the next Prime Minister PA Protesters gather outside Perth Concert Hall in Scotland, where Conservative leadership candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are set to take part in a rally PA A van from removals, storage and delivery company Bishop’s Move outside Downing Street, London PA A section of a £45m furnace crosses the central reservation as it moves along the M53 which was closed between junction 5 at Hooton and junction 10 for Cheshire Oaks, to accommodate the abnormal load heading for Essar’s Stanlow refinery PA Dry grass in Eastville Park, Bristol. The Met Office has issued an orange extreme heat warning covering four days from Thursday to Sunday for parts of England and Wales PA Dust from a quarry behind a balloon flying at the annual Bristol International Balloon Fiesta Reuters Aung-Bo, a 21-year-old Asian elephant is cooled off by a keeper at Chester Zoo during the heatwave Getty A tanker from Thames Water is providing a temporary water supply to the village of Northend in Oxfordshire, where the water company is pumping water into the supply network following a technical problem at Stokenchurch Reservoir PA Pupils (from left) Sophie Thwaites, Aaliyah McLaine, Michael Stewart, Aaron Boyack and Claire McNab at Auchmuty High School in Glenrothes, Fife, check their results as secondary school students across Scotland find out their exam results PA Team England’s James Willstrop and Declan James compete with Team England’s Adrian Waller and Daryl Shelby during the men’s doubles squash gold medal match on the final day of the Commonwealth Games Getty England’s Ojie Edoburun wins gold in the men’s 4×100 relay on day 10 of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham EPA People walk on dry ground in Greenwich Park in London EPA England’s Anthony Harding and England’s Jack Lauher compete to win the gold medal in the men’s synchronized 3m springboard diving final on day eight of the Commonwealth Games at the Sandwell Aquatics Center in Birmingham, central England AFP/Getty The Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland during rehearsal work for this year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, entitled Voices, at Redford Barracks, Edingburgh PA England’s Emily Campbell celebrates after winning gold in the women’s 87+kg weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games Getty Circus company Lost in Translation show off some tricks on top of Edinburgh’s Calton Hill Getty England players celebrate during a victory party in Trafalgar Square in central London AFP/Getty England striker Chloe Kelly celebrates after scoring her team’s second goal during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 soccer final between England and Germany at Wembley Stadium AFP/Getty People during the Belfast Pride parade which returns to the city for the first time since the pandemic PA Maxwell Tall, 2, cries as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to the media during a visit to community group Mums for Lungs in South Woodford, London, to coincide with the final day of the ULEZ extension consultation and publishing new air quality data PA Liz Truss during a visit to a broadband exchange in Leeds as part of her campaign to be leader of the Conservative Party and the next Prime Minister PA A person waits for a train at Kings Cross station as union members take part in a fresh strike over jobs, pay and conditions PA The lavender is harvested at Lordington Lavender Farm near Chichester, West Sussex PA Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves (left) view a robot during a visit to the Manufacturing Technology Center at Liverpool Science Park as part of a two-day visit to the city PA Emma Parfett and Shaun Smith paddle in the sea during the Whitby Steampunk Weekend in Yorkshire PA Members of environmental groups including Just Stop Oil, the Peace and Justice Project and Insulate Britain take part in a mass protest in Parliament Square in London AP Check-in traffic queuing at Dover Port on the A2 as holidaymakers scramble to escape SWNS Tory leadership candidate Liz Truss meeting staff and children during a visit to the Little Miracles charity in Peterborough PA The ruins of houses in the village of Wennington after the heat sparked a series of blazes across the UK Tom Maddick/SWNS Great Britain’s Jake Whitemansell celebrates after winning the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon EPA A policeman gives water to a soldier wearing a traditional bearskin hat on guard duty outside Buckingham Palace. The government has issued the first red warning for extreme heat AP Cameron Smith kisses the claret jug on the 18th green after winning his 150th Open at St Andrews Old Course R&A via Getty Ministry of Entertainment skaters during the annual International Busking Day event at Wembley Park, London PA Ellen White, Millie Bright, Beth Meade and Rachel Daly celebrate with fans after England beat Northern Ireland in their final Euro 2022 group game in Southampton Getty Actor Kevin Spacey leaves the Old Bailey in London, charged with sexual offenses against three men. The 62-year-old is charged with four counts of sexual harassment and one count of inducing penetrative sexual activity without consent. PA Batonbearer diver Sebastian Prajsnar carries the Queen’s baton for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at the aquarium at The Deep, a marine animal attraction in Hull, as the baton visits the Yorkshire region on its 25-day tour of England in the last countdown for the matches PA A general view of the broken land with the Houses of Parliament and the Elizabeth Tower, better known as Big Ben, visible behind as the warm weather continues Reuters A man swims in the Sky Pool, a transparent pool suspended 35 meters above the ground between two blocks of flats, during a heat wave in Nine Elms, central London PA Winner Novak Djokovic and runner-up Nick Kyrgios after the men’s singles final at Wimbledon 2022 Getty People enjoy the warm weather at Southsea Beach in Hampshire PA Alfie Hewett celebrates winning his match against Gustavo Fernandez in the Gentlemen’s Wheelchair Singles semi-final at Wimbledon PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses the nation as he announces his resignation outside 10 Downing Street Getty England players celebrate after winning their Women’s Euro opener against Austria Reuters UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, UK Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, UK Attorney General Suella Braverman and UK Chief Whip Chris Heaton-Harris attend the weekly Cabinet meeting at Downing Street in London. Getty Nick Kyrgios of Australia celebrates victory against Brandon Nakashima of the USA at the end of the men’s 16 singles tennis match on day eight of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club, Wimbledon. AFP/Getty Fields of borage flowers turn the landscape purple near Feering in Essex PA Pride parade in London Getty It will ask regulator Ofgem to allow it to pay customers to switch tumble dryers and dishwashers overnight. The network operator hopes the scheme will be in place by October if approved. The latest energy bill cap forecast warns that bills could reach £6,000 by April. Consultancy Auxilione says the cap is expected to reach £3,576 in October, rise to £4,799 in January and finally reach £6,089 in April. Until April this year the cap was just £1,277, but prices have risen due to the war in Ukraine and increased demand caused by the opening of economies after the Covid-19 lockdowns.
