Sam

@MartinSLewis Is he doing anything about LPG have not heard anything about it just oil???

Martin puts your questions to Ed Miliband about the new home heating oil & LPG help. Watch last night's full 'Middle East Conflict - how to protect your pocket' show back on: itv.com/watch/the-mart…

@MartinSLewis @hmtreasury What about LPG? Just cost £895 to fill up the tank. As well as £29 quarterly rental. Cannot switch mid contract but they can put up to whatever they want?

Heating oil update. @hmtreasury has just put this release out. For speed I'm copying & pasting (though I edited out the political quotes), we'll be analysing exactly how it works later, clearly this is govt's words not mine.... -------------------------- Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - Chancellor confirms over £50 million for low income families who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. - The price of kerosene – the fuel used for heating oil - has been especially affected by the conflict in the Middle East and has risen faster than other fuels such as petrol and gas. - Government announces intention to regulate heating oil sector to introduce new consumer protections, alongside securing agreement with industry to quickly improve customer experiences. Heating oil update. Families to benefit from over £50 million to help people pay for the rising cost of heating oil. With winter drawing to a close, and families struggling with the rising price of heating oils, this government is committed to helping ensure that vulnerable families are able to heat their homes and access hot water. The price of kerosene – the fuel used for heating oil - has been particularly impacted by the conflict in the Middle East and is currently double that of crude oil. In Great Britain, unlike gas and electricity customers, those who heat their homes with oil are not covered by the energy price cap, meaning they are exposed to more immediate energy price hikes. Many, including some of the most vulnerable households, will need to pay an upfront lump sum to top up their tanks in order to maintain their heating and hot water. To bridge the gap, the Chancellor is announcing over £50 million of targeted financial support, helping low-income households in rural communities who have no choice but to top up their tanks at a time when prices have risen so significantly. In England, funding will be distributed by local authorities via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), which comes into effect from 1 April, targeted areas with higher rates of oil heating. This is a particular issue in Northern Ireland, where a greater proportion of homes rely on heating oil, and we have allocated £17 million to support them. England will receive £27 million, Scotland £4.6 million and Wales £3.8 million. This funding has been allocated based on census data, reflecting where the greatest need is, and it will be allocated directly to the devolved governments, with the expectation that it will be used to support vulnerable households. Heating oil is different from other sectors in the energy market as it does not have the same consumer protections and is not regulated by Ofgem. The government intends to introduce new consumer protections for heating oil customers and is rapidly exploring new ways to step in and ensure households are better protected. This includes: - An agreement secured with industry on a strengthened Code of Practice to rapidly provide enhanced protections to customers, including greater flexibility on delivery volumes and improving price transparency and formalising a Priority Customers Register – meaning all customers who are vulnerable are eligible for prioritised support in times of disruption. - Introducing stronger consumer protections in the heating oil market, which could cover dispute resolution, a greater variety of repayment options for those facing hardship, greater price transparency and enhanced protections for vulnerable groups such as the elderly. - Supporting the Competition and Markets Authority’s plans to carry out a more comprehensive examination of the UK's heating oil industry. - Exploring the creation of a new ombudsman or appointment of a regulator, such as Ofgem, to champion consumers, and taking powers to do so through the Energy Independence Bill. - Working with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that protections are fit for purpose for Northern Irish households, who are particularly reliant on heating oil. In addition, the Chancellor earlier this week wrote to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ask that it remains vigilant across heating oil prices and supports CMA action to tackle unjustified price increases. The government will not tolerate profiteering or unfair practices and urge customers to share any evidence of price manipulation with the CMA. Vulnerable households who are facing immediate financial difficulties as a result of rising heating oil prices are encouraged to contact their local authority to find out what support may be available to them.

@SandyofSuffolk @KarlTurnerMP @mrmarkdolan @TalkTV Cat Smith from Lancashire is also not a bad person. I am not a Labour voter but I do think she tries her best.

I feel really sorry for Labour @KarlTurnerMP talking to @mrmarkdolan on @TalkTV this morning. An old school Labour MP who wants his government to look after people in genuine need but all he gets from his party is madcap ideas like bunging failed asylum seekers 40 grand to go. "Stop the bungs, just go", he says. Stop coming up with new fangled ideas like scrapping jury trials and stick to manifesto promises. He asks how can he explain to his constituents who are working full time and will never be able to save 40 grand that a new Labour policy is to chuck that same amount at a failed asylum seeker. He says he knows he'll lose his seat in Hull but offers to help any new Reform MP. He's a man who's a good MP, a man with a conscience, a man who is the face of old Labour. And new Labour people won't listen to him. Such a shame. ☹️

@MartinSLewis @Ed_Miliband What about LPG????!!!!

Just got off the phone after @Ed_Miliband called to discuss in detail the problems people are facing with domestic energy bills and heating oil. Here's what I fed through - your feedback would be useful... 1. HEATING OIL: This is the most immediate concern as many, often in rural areas or N. Ireland, are refuelling their tanks. Prices have rocketed, a few even suggest they've nearly doubled in a week. My biggest concerns are... a) Those who can't afford the new price b) Lack of specific regulation as heating oil isn't covered by Ofgem (though that's a longer-term issue) c) Some have anecdotally reported existing booked-in orders being cancelled, and being asked to rebook at much higher prices. I want to firm up whether this is widespread... I'd like to hear specific examples of how much prices are rising, especially of point c) and will pass them through to the Department for Energy. 2. CONSUMER GAS & ELECTRICITY BILLS: This is less imminent, but a potential ticking cost time-bomb. I'm focused on the Eng, Scot & Welsh system here... - In the short term: Most bills are protected from the spike in wholesale energy prices as the Energy Price Cap is set based on a significant time-lag. In fact it is locked in to DROP 6.7% in April. Those not on the Price Cap are mainly on existing fixes (which, due to unprecedented prior policy changes, will see most suppliers cut existing fix rates on 1 April, typically by 7% to 9%) so are also price protected for now. One current concern is the lack of availability of cheap fixes. While that's frustrating, in the short term it means those whose existing fixes are ending, will just (hopefully temporarily) need to move on to the Price Cap. There are also a minority of homes who are immediately affected, eg, those on time-of-use tariffs. These include Octopus Agile & Tracker, which move half-hourly or daily with wholesale rates. These are sophisticated user tariffs, and if necessary people have the short term option to switch back to a Price Cap tariff (though do check for restrictions on how long before you can switch back). So while none of that is great, it isn't crisis point. - The end of May is likely crunch time: This is usually when the next Price Cap (July to Sept) is announced. It currently seems very likely it will rise, though just how much all depends on how long lived the current energy price spike is. Yet the key is whether wholesale rates have dropped back down or not by that point. If they have, while the Price Cap rise will annoy many, it won't be critical for most for two reasons i) The July to Sept Price Cap is usually the lowest use period. So, even if typical use rose £200/yr, in practice this'd just be, at a guess, an extra £30 to £40 paid over the period. If by then wholesale rates are down, a substantial cut would be expected for the next (Oct) Cap. ii) The rate new fixes are set at is based on wholesale rates, so if wholesale rates have dropped by then, the big push should be to get people off the Price Cap and onto fixes which could possibly look to be 20%+ cheaper, avoiding any price hike. That should then leave only those unwilling or unable to switch paying more - the latter is an issue the govt would need to concern itself with at that point. Yet if rates haven't dropped back down by May, and it looks like it'll stay high so the October Price Cap will rise too, and no cheap fixes are available, then things get into real problem territory. The government needs to be (and I suspect is starting to) planning now for that eventuality in case more hard-core intervention is needed. Martin PS I said I'd be off socials for the weekend, as normal, but thought this was worth coming back on for. I'm now resuming my weekend break from socials.

@MartinSLewis And LPG. £800 to fill up my tank. 5-6 + times a year. Completely unregulated and they can raise the price mid contract and I am not allowed to transfer for 2 years.

The home heating oil situation is terrible for many unlucky enough to be about to refill. The solutions of 'comparison' and 'collective buying' are weak at this time. The outrage is this is an unregulated, unprotected, market (we've long called for that to change). We are subserving many, especially those who live in rural communities.

@BasilTheGreat He needs Clarins.

🚨POLICE SCOTLAND ANNOUNCE MIGRANT ATTACKER IN EDINBURGH IS 23 YEARS OLD GIVE IT A F**KING REST MAN 🤣 How is he Twenty Three? SERIOUSLY

@IsabelOakeshott I was thinking about you and yours when I read the Telegraph report. I sincerely hope you stay safe and this all ends as quickly as possible. Sending you positive vibes!

I live in the Marina. All good here. Praying for the Iranian people 🙏

@NoFarmsNoFoods Garstang Blue cheese by Dewlay is the best!

No farmers, no cheese. 🧀

@SBarrettBar Can relate!

FOR CLARITY: I am not a 'boomer'. I've just aged badly 😁😁😁

@CutMyTaxUK @RachelReevesMP Record CGT is a worry. Company directors cashing their chips in so what happens next year and onwards as fewer companies to pay all these taxes and provide the jobs.

@RachelReevesMP Rachel, leaving aside the fact that many of those statements are untrue over Labour's period of office, isn't the real problem that you don't actually have an economic plan, as your colleague Wes Streeting has said

⬇️ Inflation down ⬇️ Interest rates down ⬇️ Borrowing down ⬆️ Retail sales up ⬆️ UK fastest growing European G7 economy There's more to do, but our economic plan is the right one. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

@kelvmackenzie This is absolutely tragic for young people trying to start their lives. My friend helped her son apply for jobs after he reported getting nowhere. She applied for over 400 jobs with him and didn’t even get an interview. Like she said they hadn’t even seen him just rejected.

The Times reports HMRC data shows there is now more people over 70s paying income tax than the under 30s. The young love AI - Always Idle

@ONS Why on earth do you need to do this?

We have linked Census 2021 data on sexual orientation to death registration data to estimate life expectancy, at age 20, according to sexual orientation. Read more ➡️ ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulati…

@BBCNewsnight When I see the waste unveiled by The Procurement Files X account these are the things that should be targeted not young people.

@BBCNewsnight There is enough money coming into the treasury without crippling our young with student loans. The Treasury needs to prioritise young people’s education (this is coming from a 50 year old woman) and stop the Government waste/quangos.

“Fair and proportionate” Chancellor Rachel Reeves says the student loans system is “reasonable”, in response to Martin Lewis’ claims on #Newsnight that freezing the threshold at which graduates repay their student loans was not “a moral thing” for her to do.

@russellcrowe Congratulations

Today my eldest received his Bachelor of the Arts (Latin)… I’m going to have to build some more storage space to pack away all this fatherly pride. He’s a little bit taller these days … and he’s got a beard and such … but, same wise before his years fella

@MartinSLewis @itvMLshow My home insurance went from £550 to £1,300 last year dreading the renewal price in April.

Tonight 7:15pm ITV @itvMLshow - millions are being ripped off on car and home insurance prices. What you pay should've dropped, but for many it hasn't. I'm going to take you through the tips, tricks & strategies to ensure max value, min cost.

@SuellaBraverman @reformparty_uk I am very happy about your decision it took a lot of courage and I know you will be an absolute asset to Reform.

Delighted and honoured to join the only team that has the courage to stand up for our country. Pleased to join @reformparty_uk today.

@LeilaniDowding Try White Company.

Are all clothes made of plastic now.?? Why is it so hard to find natural fibres on the High Street?!

@IsabelOakeshott @TiceRichard @reformparty_uk Congratulations!

Thank you from ⁦@TiceRichard⁩ and I for all the lovely messages on our engagement 🥰 ⁦@reformparty_uk⁩

@SBarrettBar @chilternrailway Oh I am so sorry for you. I hope you get home safely. I can see how shook up you are.

I have just been physically assaulted by @chilternrailway staff Please retweet I am bleeding