Only a couple of years before that there was furlough – when the taxpayer paid more than 10 million people's wages during the pandemic. One government source said there "could be a scenario where the price cap goes up by just a couple of pounds", adding it wasn't clear there was a "huge £50-a-month spike coming". Two years later, with Liz Truss campaigning to become prime minister, one former No 10 official says while she was "out campaigning saying 'no handouts'… I was being shown modelling of households earning £50-60,000 who'd fall into fuel poverty. " When Truss arrived in No 10 she promised to help pay household bills for a full two years - capping them at £2,500 - with six months' support for businesses. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated they would hit nearly £80bn, but in the end, the National Audit Office reported the price to be £44bn. In autumn 2022, a typical household's gas and electricity bill had been due to rise from £1,971 to £3,549 before Truss stepped in.