830,000 of the poorest households will miss out on Labour's £100 energy payment because it ignores income

Research by Policy in Practice shows that 838,000 households already receiving Council Tax Support will be left out of the £100 Household Energy Payment, because the scheme uses council tax band rather than means-tested income to determine who qualifies. Chancellor John Healey unveiled the £2.6bn programme, which will pay a flat sum to all 20 million homes in bands A to D in January.

Of those excluded, 84 per cent contain a disabled person, include children, or fall below the poverty line.

Households under fuel stress — defined as spending at least 10 per cent of their income on energy — have a 17 per cent chance of missing out, even though they are among those in greatest need.

Low-income families of five or more are 1.6 times more likely to live in a higher-band property that falls outside the qualifying criteria, meaning more than 130,000 larger struggling families will not receive the payment.