Autumn's Triple Squeeze: Energy Bills, Frozen Tax Traps, and a Vanishing Fiscal Buffer

The UK economy is hurtling toward autumn with households caught in a vice. The Ofgem energy price cap rises 4% from October 1 — pushing typical dual-fuel bills to £1,723 a year — just as the government's fiscal buffer has shrunk from £22.7bn to as low as £8bn, according to the Resolution Foundation. Meanwhile, frozen income tax thresholds are quietly dragging millions more earners into a 62% effective tax rate trap. Three pressures are converging at the...