Downing Street Rejects Calls for Boris Johnson to Take Immediate Action on Cost of Living Crisis

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Street owner has rejected calls for Boris Johnson to intervene and take immediate action to ease the cost of living.

Former Labor Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged the outgoing Prime Minister to sit down with Tory leaders Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss to discuss new measures to help troubled families as inflation and energy bills skyrocket rise.

Mr Brown has also said he believes the government should hold daily meetings of its Cobra emergency committee to work out ways to deal with what he described as a “national emergency”.

But as the prime minister returned to number 10 after a short summer break on Monday morning, his official spokesman said it was up to the next Tory leader to decide on future action.

“You will understand by convention that it is not up to this prime minister to make major fiscal interventions during this period,” said the spokesman.

“It will be for the future prime minister. Both candidates have discussed further support for various resources they plan to introduce.”

No10 pointed to the £15bn bailout package announced by Mr Sunak while still Chancellor in May, which includes £400 off energy bills in the autumn as the energy price cap will rise.

The spokesman said Johnson would meet with current Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi to discuss the rollout of the “billions” of aid that will be phased in over the coming months, but reiterated that it was not up to the prime minister to intervene. He also ruled out Mr. Johnson’s meeting with Ms. Truss and Mr. Sunak to discuss a cost-of-living plan.

Gordon Brown on Monday called for a new budget to ease pressure on struggling households.

“Now is the time to take action and that is why I say government ministers should meet with leadership candidates so they can agree on a package that can be implemented immediately,” he told Sky News.

“If not, Parliament should be recalled to look into what constitutes a national emergency.

“And at the same time, of course, the special committee needs to meet to review all these plans.”

Brown said hopeful Tory leaders Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak should now announce plans to help the most vulnerable through the crisis.

Analysts have predicted that the average household’s energy bill will be £3,358 a year from October, up from £1,971 a year in April.

The Bank of England has warned that the UK will slip into recession later this year and that the rising costs of gas and food prices could push inflation up to 11 percent before the start of 2023.

The government has announced a £400 payment to all households, paid between October 2022 and March, to help with energy bills.

But Mr Brown said that won’t be enough to help families struggling with rising costs.

He said, “You could look at a cap on energy prices … you could have better Social Security support.

“But all these things are not really being discussed by the ministers right now, not even by the leading candidates who are obsessed with tax cuts.

“We’re really dealing with this cost of living, energy supply, shortages of storage facilities and also the cost of living that people have to pay.”

He added: “I talk quite a lot with charities in my area of ​​Scotland. And they fear October.

“They stock duvets, sleeping bags, hot water bottles with sheets and pillows and blankets because they know people can’t afford to heat their homes anymore.”

Former Tory co-chair Oliver Dowden said it was necessary to “be realistic and honest with people about the magnitude of the challenge we face”.

Asked if there was a need for daily Cobra emergency meetings amid the rising cost of living, he said: “Of course we have to master this situation and we have to be realistic and honest with people about the magnitude of the challenge we face.” are confronted.

“Both with the magnitude of inflation coming down, something we haven’t seen in nearly 40 years, and with the fact that energy bills will rise, possibly towards £4,000.

“I’d say while I don’t have huge lessons from Gordon Brown, remember this was a guy who gave us 75 pence for retirees, so he doesn’t really have a great track record on this sort of thing.”