The UK Treasury signaled it plans to cut funding to businesses to help them cope with surging energy bills as it seeks to restore order to the public finances. Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has been weighing how much assistance to provide companies when an existing six-month program of energy support worth £18 billion ($21.7 billion) expires at the end of March, and has delayed an announcement until the new year as he examines different options. The current program protecting businesses “is very expensive, and we need to ensure longer-term affordability and value for money for the taxpayer,” the Treasury ... (full story)