SQUEEZED Brits will start getting a £324 cost of living payment on November 8, the Work and Pensions Secretary said today.
It is the second half of the £650 cash handout dished out to vulnerable families to weather the inflation and energy bill hell.
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The first £326 instalment was dropped into people’s bank accounts in July by the government.
Around 7.2million people are expected to benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions help.
Brits are eligible for the payment if they claim Universal Credit, Jobseekers’ Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit.
Work and Pensions Secretary Chloe Smith announced the date at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham today.
She said: “We understand that people are struggling which is why we’re committed supporting the most vulnerable households.”
Support for the poorest in society is shaping into a huge row as Liz Truss eyes squeezing benefits to wrestle down borrowing.
She is considering raising benefits in line with earnings, much less than raising it with inflation as was planned.
The PM and her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng have only confirmed that the triple lock will still apply to pension payments.
Ms Truss wants to rein in government spending to stop borrowing spiralling out of control after her tax cuts.
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Cabinet Ministers have been told to make “efficiency savings” in their departments to help reduce the debt pile.
Tory chair Jake Berry yesterday declared the need to “trim the fat” off Whitehall budgets.
The full plan to wrestle down debt will be unveiled by Kwasi Kwarteng on November 23 when he outlines his “Mid Term Fiscal Plan”.
While critics have accused her of sacrificing public services on the altar of tax cuts, allies insist government spending needs to fall.
Ex-Treasury Minister Greg Hands said: “Government spending has risen significantly since I left the Treasury in 2016 – much due to the pandemic – and now is the time to pare back on overspending departments.”
