Standing charges on gas bills will be scrapped from next year, ITV News reports. Under the change, the fixed costs now covered by the daily charge would be recovered through the unit rate instead.
ITV News quotes a Treasury estimate that 60% of households would save an average of £45 a year. It also reports the Chancellor, John Healey, saying similar reforms will follow for electricity bills.
This goes further than the Budget document. On electricity, the document commits only to reforming standing charges, with details next year. It does not announce a cut. ITV's report on gas has not yet been checked against the Budget document, and the Treasury's £45 estimate has not been independently checked.
Healey's reported remark on electricity points to reform rather than abolition. It does not confirm Martin Lewis's account of the Chancellor signalling an equivalent cut to electricity standing charges.