THE UK Government is focused on supporting “just one person” instead of helping people facing rising energy costs, the Welsh Minister for Social Justice said.

At a briefing about the move to double the winter fuel allowance from £100 to £200 in the face of the cost-of-living crisis in Wales, Jane Hutt said there was “little sign of hope coming from Whitehall”.

The increase in winter fuel allowance is part of a £51 million package of targeted support for families and the most vulnerable across Wales that was first announced in December.

An estimated 350,000 households in Wales will benefit from the increase as concerns grow about cost-of-living pressures and soaring energy bills.

Also on the horizon is the 1.25% increase in national insurance from April, as well as a rise in the energy price cap this spring, which could see bills increase by 50%.

Ms Hutt said the UK Government has failed to offer “practical solutions” to help millions of families facing crisis.

Referencing the “partygate” scandal and the Sue Gray report, she said: “Instead of practical solutions to help millions in crisis now, we have a Government more focused on supporting just one person – the Prime Minister.”

Household budgets are further being stretched by inflation, which reached a near 30-year high of 5.4% in December.

Ms Hutt said that when it has acted, the UK Government has only “made problems worse”.

“They cut the Universal Credit £20 uplift, which was such a vital lifeline during the pandemic, helping working people and those on low incomes,” she said.

“And just when this help is needed the most – it’s gone.”

The minister said there were people in Wales facing the stark choice of whether to "heat or eat".

She said the Welsh Government was calling on the UK Government to introduce a differentiated energy price cap, to protect poorer households from being hit with the same rises as wealthier ones.

“These are the families who spend the largest proportion of their budgets on energy,” Ms Hutt said.

“Once again, we echo the words of the devolved governments, charities and people across the country when we call on them to listen and to act.”