Despite huge increases in energy prices, largely caused by the war in Ukraine, he also said the West must “redouble” its support for Kyiv and not “waver”. “It was Putin’s barbaric invasion that spooked the energy markets,” writes the prime minister in the Mail on Sunday. “It’s Putin’s war costing British consumers. That’s why your energy bill is doubling. I’m afraid Putin knows it. He likes it. And he wants us to buckle.” It comes as possible successor to the prime minister, Liz Truss, is considering a 5% cut in VAT across the board, according to The Telegraph. A source told Sky News that Mrs Truss “will look at options to help people but it would not be right for her to announce her plans before the Prime Minister is elected or sees all the facts”. The Tory leadership frontrunner has previously pledged to carry out a “thorough review” of the tax system which is “very complex”. Image: Boris Johnson met Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Wednesday On Saturday, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi predicted that Britons on wages of £45,000 will need government help to pay their energy bills this winter – and not just people on benefits. On a more positive note, Mr Johnson claimed that “the UK’s recovery can and must be remarkable and that our future will be golden”. The outgoing prime minister says the UK is in a stronger position than may be apparent at first. This is due to “long-term decisions, including domestic energy supply,” he writes.
The prime minister’s optimism won’t help with people’s energy bills
Boris Johnson is known for his optimism, but telling people they will “come out stronger and more prosperous” from the cost of living crisis won’t help their bills right now. The warnings of unemployment during the pandemic (which he recalls in his article) may not have materialized, but the increase in the energy cap did: most households will have to pay thousands more and bills are likely to rise even more in next year. It’s easier to sound optimistic when someone else has to make the tough decisions: Boris Johnson knows his legacy is likely to loom large in the next government and may well continue to make his views known. The chancellor also spoke of rising bills. Nadhim Zahawi warns that middle-income households (such as senior nurses and teachers on around £45,000 a year) need more help and prices could remain “punishingly high” for two years. The chancellor is urgent and gloomy, unlike Boris Johnson. But in just over a week there will be new occupants of the number 10 and number 11. how the new government deals with the cost of living could well determine and decide the next election. On support for Ukraine, Mr Johnson says “we can’t back down now”. “If Putin is allowed to get away with his murder and mayhem and change Europe’s borders by force, then he will just do it again, elsewhere on the periphery of the former Soviet Union,” he says. “Other countries will learn the lesson that violence and aggression can pay off and will usher in a new cycle of political and economic instability.” The Prime Minister continues: “That is why we must continue to support the Ukrainians – and their military success continues to be remarkable. “Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shown that his country is fundamentally unconquerable. “Now is the time for the West to redouble our support, not falter.”
