Government energy crisis support for retailers to be backdated

The government has promised to backdate any delays to support with rising energy bills, amid concerns businesses would have to wait longer than households for assistance.

Last week, the Financial Times reported that government officials had warned businesses that support from prime minister Liz Truss’s £150bn support plan would come in November, a month later than for households.

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Responding to the concerns, a government spokesperson said: “We will confirm further details of the business support scheme next week. The scheme will support businesses with their October energy bills, including through backdating if necessary.”

The support package announced this month was welcomed by retailers, but it had also received criticism over its lack of clarity.

Since then, the government has announced a new scheme to fix gas and electricity prices for six months from 1 October 2022.

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