Johnson put pressure on his successor, who is likely to be Liz Truss, saying the cash pool will “clearly go up, it will go up, with extra cash that the government is obviously going to announce in September”. But he also said total energy bills should not be subsidized for everyone as Ofgem announced an increase in the price cap to over £3,500. “What I don’t think we should be doing is cutting things back for everybody, the wealthiest households in the country,” Johnson said. “This will continue for a few months and will continue into the winter,” admitted the outgoing prime minister. “And it’s going to be difficult – and I’ll be very clear about that – but ultimately, we’re also taking the steps we need to make sure we have the energy independence to get through it.” His comments came as chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said Britons should consider cutting energy use in light of the huge rise in bills they will face given the new cap on energy prices. Zahawi became the first minister to publicly suggest households review how much gas and electricity they use, amid concerns that the cost-of-living crisis is expected to worsen significantly this winter. The admission marks a significant shift from the government’s line just days ago, when a Johnson spokesman insisted energy consumption issues “remain decisions for individuals”. Zahawi said on Friday that there was “real concern among the population” about energy bills, but denied that the government was failing to help people. “We know we need to do more because actually the most vulnerable households don’t have a cushion,” he told reporters. He assured the public that “more help is on the way” and that he was “doing the work to make sure it’s in place next year.” Following an announcement that the energy price cap would rise by 80%, from £1,971 a year to £3,549 on the average dual-fuel tariff, Zahawi said: “The reality is we all have to look at energy consumption.” Blaming Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the chancellor added that it was “a difficult time” given that “there is war on our continent”. And he continued: “Very few people expected the war. Wars are fought in far away places. Now he is here with us. We must remain resilient. It is my responsibility to offer that help.” The government was accused of a “lack of action” by Labor leader Keir Starmer. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. He said: “You have a prime minister who has insisted on staying in power, recognizes there is a problem with energy prices, shrugs his shoulders and does nothing about it. “You have two leadership candidates fighting each other about how awful they have been in government, but neither has come up with any plan to deal with this problem. Unforgivable.” Liz Truss, the Tory leadership frontrunner, was criticized by her rival Rishi Sunak for economic plans which he claimed would only worsen the pain felt by those already living in fuel poverty and others who would be pushed into it. The former chancellor said pensioners and the most vulnerable would be supported if he became prime minister. “I want them to have confidence that additional help is coming,” he said. Truss’ plans, which he said amount to borrowing tens of billions of pounds for unfunded tax cuts, “do nothing to help people most in need, risk worsening inflation and put the nation’s finances at risk.” us,” Sunak added. The Trust scaled back its announcements on support for tax cuts, including reversing the rise in national insurance and temporarily suspending green levies on energy bills. However, her campaign said it would not be appropriate to announce further plans before she is elected prime minister or has seen all the facts. A campaign spokesman said the price cap increase would “cause serious concern to many people across the UK who will be worried about paying their bills” but that it would “ensure people have the support they need to to overcome these difficult times”.
