The Chancellor, John Healey, has said energy costs are punishing, in what PA describes as a hint of further help with energy bills at the Budget. He was speaking in an interview with ITV News on Thursday 22 October.
"Energy costs are punishing at the moment."
PA's report gives no detail of any measure, what it would cost or how long it would last. No new support for bills has been confirmed.
Healey had earlier said cost-of-living support should be "targeted and temporary", a remark that pointed away from help for all households.
The i Paper reports that the zero VAT rate on household electricity runs only until 31 March. The rate was cut from 5% from 1 October and saves a typical household about £45 a year, according to the paper. The i Paper says it revealed last week that Healey is unlikely to extend it.