Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, didn’t know what a pre-payment meter was when he was drawing up the energy support package, a Glasgow MP has said

Alison Thewliss, Glasgow Central SNP MP, said she quizzed Sunak about support for the most vulnerable customers, earlier this year when he was Chancellor.

Sunak was the Chancellor who announced the £400 package of help for every household in the country this winter.

READ MORE: SNP to 'enter broadcast arena' with new media platform

But Thewlis said he didn't fully understand the issue when she asked him about those who have to pay in advance, during a Treasury commit meeting.

Glasgow Times:

The MP was speaking at a fringe event on the cost of living crisis organized by Advice Direct Scotland at the SNP conference, in Aberdeen.

She said the UK Government was too slow in getting to grips with providing support to people with rising energy bills.

The MP said: “It was clear earlier in the year where things were going. They missed the rise in the spring and were not ready in the autumn. Now it's too late.

“They could have stopped the rise but they didn’t.

"When the then Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced support it was clear to me he didn’t know what a pre-payment meter was or how one worked.

“I asked him at committee about pre-payment meters and waffled on about direct debits.”

READ MORE: Keith Brown brands Liz Truss 'worst Prime Minister' and Keir Starmer as 'handmaiden of Tory rule'

On the politicians in charge of providing help with the energy crisis, she added: “They’ve never had a prepayment meter or had their electricity run out.

“It’s too late. I’m worried the pre-payment voucher is not going to get to enough people.”

Prepayment meter customers are charged a higher rate for their energy.

David Pilling, of Ombudsman Services, said a problem was people being forced on to the method of payment by suppliers.

He said: “People being forced onto prepayment meters when it is not appropriate. The people who can least afford it are being put on the highest tariff.

He said: “It’s a problem we need to talk about. The fact senior politicians don’t know what a prepayment meter is is criminal.”

While direct debit customers or those who pay when their bill is sent get the money applied to their energy provider account, prepayment customers have a different method.

The UK Government website offers information on how prepayment customers get the discount.

It states: “You’ll get the discount from the first week of each month. You’ll get the discount automatically in one of the following ways, as: Redeemable vouchers, sent by SMS text, email or post or

“An automatic credit when you top up at your usual top up point.

“Your electricity supplier will let you know in advance how you will get your discount.

“Your supplier should have your contact details, but if you’re not sure or you don’t receive any information from them, you should check that they have your latest number and email.

“If you get vouchers you’ll need to redeem them at a top-up point. Your supplier will tell you where to redeem them, for example at a Post Office branch or a PayPoint shop.

“Payzone outlets are unable to accept the vouchers.”