that s going to put an extra thousand pounds in millions of people s pockets. we also cut the universal credit table rate, that s cutting taxes for those on the lowest incomes. these are all calculations for the uk government to make, and there are many other governments facing similar decisions. the us saw a 29% increase in energy costs last year. in germany they went up by 18%. the uk, though, may see energy price rises of 50%, and an academic called professor dieter helm argues this could ve been avoided. he wrote a report for the government about energy security four years ago. it s not rocket science. there were a series of reforms which needed to be made. if we d just got on with that and put those reforms in place from my cost of energy review, the cost of energy would not be the crisis it is today. the government would refute this. as we ve heard, it calls this a global phenomenon, and as it wrestles with what to do about the rising cost of living, so too are many families.