Politics
UK ministers prepare to cut heat pump subsidies to fund defence spending
October 12, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Coverage
2 reports · 1 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 6 hours
British ministers are preparing to cut subsidies for heat pumps as they seek budget savings to fund a £15bn defence spending rise.
- Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has been tasked with finding more than £2bn in savings from her budget to help fund defence investment.
- Hundreds of millions of pounds will be cut from the £2.7bn boiler upgrade scheme, which has subsidised nearly 80,000 heat pumps since 2022, though it will not be abolished.
- Octopus Energy chief executive Greg Jackson said cutting the scheme would be "brutally damaging" as the heat pump market "is taking off."
- Ministers are also expected to give the go-ahead for the Jackdaw gasfield as soon as this week.