The Treasury is considering the unusual idea as the front-runner to be the new prime minister signaled at the weekend that she would look at options to help with the cost – now forecast to top £6,000 next year when she takes office. Some MPs believe Truss may be ready to unveil more details of her plans to help with energy bills as soon as this week – either through more tax cuts, support payments for the most vulnerable or support for the industry’s idea for a state-supported. deficit tariff regime”. She has resisted backing any specific plans so far, but there is some concern from Tory MPs that her reluctance to ask for help is damaging her standing with the public. It comes as the latest forecasts from energy consultants Auxilione suggested energy prices could top £6,000 a year for the average household next year and Ofgem, the regulator, is expected to lift the price cap from £1,971 to £3,576 this week. The Treasury proposal would mean people could consult their GP for an assessment of whether they are vulnerable enough to need help with their bills. A senior government source said the GP plan was “something we are interested in looking at”, although it is “a long way from finalisation”. Aid could, for example, be aimed at people with medical conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to the cold. The idea, first reported in the Sun on Sunday, was rejected by doctors. Professor Martin Marshall, president of the Royal College of GPs, said GPs were “unqualified to assess whether or not people should receive additional financial support to help them cope with the rising cost of living”. He said: “We are also working under intense workloads and workforce pressures, doing more consultations each month than before the pandemic, with reduced numbers of GPs. “Steps must be taken to tackle this and minimize the impact of the rising cost of living on people’s health, which will affect our most vulnerable patients the most. But that cannot be left to GPs and our teams to facilitate.” Dr David Wrigley, deputy chairman of BMA England’s GP committee, said “conviction is needed that government ministers believe it is appropriate to recommend GPs take on this work”. “At a time when GPs are already overwhelmed by the biggest workforce crisis and the longest waiting lists in living memory, this addition to their workload is completely unacceptable,” he said. “They don’t have the time or the skills to do the work of the welfare system. The government has not discussed this with us in any form – passing these kinds of proposals through the media is deeply unprofessional.” Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said the Conservatives had “lost the plot on the cost of living crisis and have no idea the level of pressure on the NHS”. Truss did not comment on the GP idea, but hinted in an interview with the Sun on Sunday that she was prepared to support people with rising bills, having previously said she was not in favor of “handouts”. He said every government “must make sure that life is affordable for people” and that he was looking for help “across the board”, including businesses. In comments that suggested she may provide targeted support for the lowest paid and tax cuts for others, the foreign secretary said she would not “roll out the handout” before looking at the causes of soaring energy bills. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. He said: “What I really object to is taking money from taxpayers and then giving the money back to them in benefits. It makes no sense to me. That’s why I support keeping taxes low, growing the economy, growing our economy, addressing supply issues. He added: “Now, of course, in the budget every government has to look at making sure that life is affordable for people. But what’s wrong is to look for the brochure first before tackling the root cause of a problem.” Regarding small businesses, many of which are seeing energy prices rise exponentially, he said, “I’m very, very aware that it’s not just the customers or consumers that have energy price issues, it’s small businesses as well.” It also downgraded the outlook for a recession, despite the fact that the economy shrank by 0.6% in the last quarter. “There’s a lot of talk that there’s going to be a recession,” he said. “I don’t think this is inevitable. We can unlock opportunities here in Britain.” Kwasi Kwarteng, her most likely choice for chancellor, also gave an interview to the Mail on Sunday, saying: “Help is coming.” Truss leadership rival Rishi Sunak has previously said he would give around £10bn worth of aid to offset rising gas and electricity costs. A government spokesman said: “We know that rising prices are causing significant challenges for families, which is why we are constantly taking action to help households with £37bn of phased support throughout the year, which includes special support to help people through the difficult winter… “We are making the necessary preparations to ensure that a new government has options to provide additional support as soon as possible.”
