‘We should have a plan today’: Martin Lewis slams Tories over energy crisis
Boris Johnson is “hoping for a populist comeback”, a former minister has said as the Tory leadership race enters its final week.
Rory Stewart called the outgoing prime minister “dangerous” and said it was important to remember why he was forced to stand down as some supporters want him back.
“He is trying to make an Imran Khan or a Berlusconi. He will be hanging around, waiting for a populist comeback,” the former Tory politician told The Guardian.
He said: “I think we need to remind people why he left. He should have gone much, much earlier. What he did was deeply, deeply shameful and dangerous.”
Johnson said he would resign after a series of scandals, including over the handling of sexual harassment allegations against MP Chris Pincher and the Partygate scandal, which culminated in mass government resignations.
It comes as the battle between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to be the next Prime Minister enters its final week, with results expected next Monday.
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Rory Stewart believes Boris Johnson is expecting a “populist return” to First Bank politics
Rory Stewart, a former government minister, has said he believes Boris Johnson is hoping for a “populist comeback” in a new interview.
“I think it’s dangerous and there are people out there who want it back,” he told The Guardian.
“I think we need to remind people why he left. He should have gone much, much earlier. What he did was deeply, deeply shameful and dangerous.”
He told the newspaper he thinks Mr Johnson will try to return to front-line politics. “He is trying to make an Imran Khan or a Berlusconi. He will be hanging around, waiting for a populist comeback,” he said.
Rory Stewart said Boris Johnson ‘should have gone much earlier’ (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
(PA file)
Zoe Tidman August 29, 2022 8:07 am
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Hospitals and schools fear staff cuts due to rising energy bills
School and hospital authorities have warned of possible cuts to staff pay amid rising UK energy bills.
The National Health Service (NHS) confederation has said the bills they are paying this year are far higher than what hospitals paid last year.
“The funding gap from rising inflation will have to be made up by fewer staff being employed, longer waiting times for care or cuts to other areas of patient care,” said Rory Deighton of the NHS Confederation, in The Mirror.
He added: “The NHS needs at least £3.4 billion to offset inflation this year alone. That’s before we face a winter of even higher wholesale energy prices.” S
Hospitals and schools fear staff cuts due to rising energy bills
“Money is being diverted from education and given to energy companies”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 August 2022 07:27
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Almost one in four ‘won’t turn on the heating this winter’
Almost one in four adults plan to never turn on the heating this winter, polls suggest, as average bills are set to soar as the temperature drops.
That number is even higher for parents with children under 18, according to a Savanta ComRes survey conducted before the new price cap was announced.
Pollsters asked more than 2,000 UK adults how they would respond to rising energy prices over the winter: 23% said they would not turn on the heating at all, rising to 27% among parents with minors under 18 years of age.
Almost one in four ‘won’t turn on the heating this winter’ as energy bills soar
Seven in 10 UK adults will turn on the heating less, while one in 10 will take out a loan, the survey found.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar August 29, 2022 7:04 am
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State pensioners could be left with just over £10 a day after price cap rise
UK pensioners who rely on state pay could reportedly be left with just over £10 a day to spend on food, transport, medicine and other living costs from next April following the ‘increase in the cost of energy.
According to Sky News analysis, the total state pension is likely to rise to £10,600 from April 2023, provided inflation is set at 10.1 per cent next month when the pension rates for 2023-2.
However, regular energy bill costs will reach £6,616 in April, according to a prediction by consultancy group Cornwall Insight.
State pensioners could be left with just over £10 a day after energy price cap hike
Charities across the UK are sounding the alarm over the steep rise in living costs for the elderly
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar August 29, 2022 6:48 am
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Conservative voters say Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have no solutions to the energy crisis
Conservative voters are rejecting both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak’s plans to tackle the energy crisis ahead of massive price rises in the autumn, an exclusive poll for The Independent reveals.
Fewer than half of Tory supporters believe the contenders have solutions to the turmoil to come from rising average annual gas and electricity bills, which will rise to £3,549 in October and are expected to surpass the £5,300 in January.
Worryingly for Mrs Truss, who is the overwhelming favorite to replace Boris Johnson, only 48% of Tories support her as a candidate for emergency cost of living relief. This figure places it slightly ahead of Mr. Sunak, who is supported in this measure by 44 percent.
Conservative voters say Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak can’t solve the energy crisis
Exclusive: Poll reveals Tory supporters’ lack of faith in candidates and public rejection of their priorities
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 August 2022 06:42
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Liz Truss likely to tackle rising charges with tax cuts: report
Liz Truss, one of the final candidates in the race to succeed Boris Johnson, would prioritize tax cuts over providing direct payments to all households to deal with rising energy bills.
Mrs Truss is considering reducing VAT by 5 per cent.
“Liz has been clear that we need to reduce the tax burden and focus on increasing energy supply and that will be her priority as Prime Minister,” a member of her campaign team told the BBC.
“He has also made it clear that more support may be needed to help. His preference is to direct it to those most in need, but he is not ruling anything out.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar August 29, 2022 6:30 am
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ICYMI | Ofgem confirms the energy price cap will rise to £3,549 from October with an 80% increase.
The UK energy regulator has set the new maximum price at £3,549 from October 1, marking a sharp 80% rise in the cost of energy.
Ofgem said it did not share projections for January when a new cap will come into effect, as the market remained too volatile.
However, it is feared that the winter gas market will lead to “significantly worse” prices over the coming year.
Millions of people across the UK face the cost of rising energy bills, exacerbated by Friday’s announcement, after wholesale gas prices continued to rise following the pandemic.
Ofgem confirms the energy price cap will rise to £3,549 from October with an 80% increase.
Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley warns of difficulties for energy prices this winter
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 August 2022 06:29
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Boris Johnson to urge Truss and Sunak to keep green investments
Britain’s next prime minister must not abandon investments in green energy as he devises measures to ease the cost-of-living crisis, Boris Johnson is urging.
The outgoing prime minister is expected to tell Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, the final candidates in the running to succeed Mr Johnson, that the UK must strengthen its commitment to net zero while supporting households in difficulties, The Telegraph reported.
The statements will likely act as a warning to the two No.10 hopefuls to stick to Mr. Johnson to build a new nuclear reactor every year and favor a fivefold increase in offshore wind power by 2030.
Boris Johnson ‘to urge Truss and Sunak to keep investment green’
Britain’s next prime minister must not abandon investments in green energy as he devises measures to ease the cost-of-living crisis, Boris Johnson is urging.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar August 29, 2022 5:40 am
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What does the energy price cap mean to you?
The energy price cap is the maximum amount a utility company can charge an average customer in the UK per year for the amount of electricity and gas they use, preventing companies from simply passing on increases of costs to the consumer.
But the cap, set by regulator Ofgem and first introduced in January 2019, only applies to customers on a standard variable tariff, usually a supplier’s default and most expensive option.
It doesn’t protect consumers from fluctuations in the global market, and it doesn’t limit an individual’s overall bill: if you use more than the “average user”, you still pay more.
What does the energy price cap mean to you?
Rising global gas prices cause household bills to rise dramatically in 2022
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 August 2022 05:28
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At least 47% of Conservative voters want energy to be nationalized, according to the poll
Almost half of Tory voters support the renationalisation of the UK energy industry amid the cost of living crisis, according to a new poll.
The YouGov poll for The Times found that 47 per cent of Tory voters support the return of energy companies to public ownership, while 28 per cent opposed it and another 25 per cent said that they weren’t sure about.
Almost half of the people surveyed said they would not be able to pay their energy bills without cutting back on other expenses.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 August 2022 05:26