Head of CBI urges Boris Johnson to offer immediate help with energy bills
The head of the Confederation of British Industry has called on Boris Johnson to take immediate action to help people with soaring energy bills, warning that putting it off until after the Conservative leadership vote would be too late.
Tony Danker told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Johnson “needs to say something to the country to reassure people about what will happen” ahead of Ofgem’s announcement of “terrifying” price rises on 26 August.
When the new prime minister is chosen on 5 September, they “need to tell us what will happen, not put it off for a couple of weeks while they do preparations for the emergency budget”, he said.
It came as energy analysts Cornwall Insight said energy bills would rise by about £200 more than it previously thought between October and November and increase even further in January.
The energy consultancy said typical household bills would reach approximately £3,582 a year. It then forecast bills at £4,266 from January and £4,427 from April. The cap is then expected to start falling, down to £3,810 in the three months from July and £3,781 from October next year.
Danker urged Johnson to meet his two potential successors, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, to thrash out “the principles given they disagree on the mechanics” so the new prime minister is able to implement their plan on 5 September as “people are going to start making decisions now about their finances and life choices”.
Meanwhile, the MP Mark Harper, a leading Sunak supporter, said Truss’s tax cuts plan favoured the wealthy rather than providing direct support to the poor and most vulnerable to help with rising inflation.
He said her plans would give high earners such as the prime minister a tax cut of £110, while those on the “national
Read more on theguardian.com
