Chancellor Rishi Sunak will come under pressure to offer more support to working families in financial pain as he makes his spring statement on Wednesday.
The Tory economy chief could outline additional measures to help ease the escalating cost-of-living crisis.
Energy bills are soaring as the price cap is lifted and prices at petrol pumps have rocketed, with rural households facing some of the steepest costs.
Figures from Sunday show the average price for a litre of fuel is 167p for petrol and 179p for diesel, demonstrating the scale of the problem.
Here’s all you need to know about the government’s mini-budget and some of the key demands facing the chancellor.
What is the spring statement and when is it taking place?
Rishi Sunak had originally been due to simply give an economic statement on the health of the UK’s finances as the fiscal year comes to an end.
But the chancellor will now give a larger spring statement which could see him announce some new policies aimed at helping those struggling with rising bills.
Mr Sunak’s announcement will serve as a smaller mini-budget instead of a full spending review, meaning any tweaks to taxes could be fairly minor.
His speech will be delivered in the House of Commons after Prime Minister’s Questions, which starts at 12pm.
Will the chancellor cut fuel duty?
One measure the Tories could take to ease the burden on drivers would be to cut fuel duty.
At the moment motorists pay 57.9p per litre for both petrol and diesel vehicles, but it’s been suggested this could be reduced by 5p.
While the tax has been frozen for the past 11 years, a cut could offer a helping hand to drivers needing to refuel regularly.
But it’s been warned that any cut to fuel duty would have to be significant to have a serious benefit for members of the public.
Research found that slashing the tax by 5p-per-litre would fail to reverse even half the increase in prices over the past fortnight.
There are also fears Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine could drive prices up further as Europe moves away from depending on Russian oil and gas.
Will households get more support with energy bills?
In February Rishi Sunak announced a new support package to help low-income families cope with the cost-of-living crisis.
It came after Ofgem lifted the price cap for bills and confirmed monthly costs could soar by more than 50%.
The chancellor revealed millions of households would get £350 of support, along with council tax rebates and money off gas bills.
But Mr Sunak was warned families need a major political intervention to avoid being plunged into poverty.
Finance advice guru Martin Lewis said he was “virtually out of tools” to help those struggling to make ends meet.
Despite admitting the price cap could rise again later this year, the chancellor urged people “not to be scared”.
Scotland’s rural north and west will likely be punished hard by the changes to energy costs.
Residents in the Western Isles already face the worst levels of fuel poverty in the whole country.
Will Scotland receive more Westminster funding?
In his funding package last month, the chancellor confirmed that additional cash would be given to the devolved administrations.
This would then allow the Scottish Government to take some of their own measures to help families with soaring costs.
But finance secretary Kate Forbes and the Welsh administration disputed that this was extra money being handed out.
If the chancellor makes certain tweaks to his current strategy to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, he could direct some more funding to Holyrood.
While the SNP claim their hands are partially tied by Westminster budgetary constraints, Labour accused them of “lacking in ambition” with spending plans.
Anas Sarwar claimed Nicola Sturgeon’s party have been “passing the buck” and said “real leadership” was needed both in Edinburgh and at Westminster.
Will the chancellor abandon his national insurance increase?
Mr Sunak previously announced that national insurance will rise by 1.25 percentage points from this April.
The Tories justified the controversial tax hike by claiming it would be spent on the NHS and social care.
But it’s been hinted the chancellor could hold back the planned rise for a year, or raise the threshold to exempt those who are currently struggling with bills.
Other measures which have been suggested by Tory rivals to help tackle the crisis have included a windfall tax on oil companies, reversing universal credits cuts and cutting VAT on energy bills.