Boris Johnson tell public to buy £20 kettle to save £10 a year on energy bills
Liz Truss has pledged to take ‘immediate action’ on the cost of living crisis if she wins the Tory leadership contest on Monday.
The frontrunner, and her counterpart Rishi Sunak, have faced criticism throughout the race that they are not grasping the scale of the problem facing the country.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph ahead of her expected victory, Ms Truss said she would set out her immediate action on energy bills and supplies in the first week.
It comes as she has been warned the Tories are “deeply divided” and risk electoral defeat unless her cabinet includes a cross section of the party.
Former minister David Davis said Ms Truss should not repeat Boris Johnson’s ‘mistake’ of only appointing loyalists, and urged her to “knit the party together”.
“It is not just in the party’s interests but in the interests of delivering serious policy and winning the next election. None of those are possible with a divided party,” he said.
Both of the final two candidates in the long running leadership contest will get a final chance to make their pitches on Sunday morning, in interviews with Laura Kuenssberg.
Key Points
Show latest update
1662280655
Truss repeats pledge to act within first week
Ms Truss has repeated her pledge she would act on issues related to the cost of energy within one week if she becomes prime minister.
Speaking to BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, and asked if the UK is at a crisis point, Ms Truss said: “I think we face some very, very serious challenges.”
“We face very, very serious challenges, which will take immediate action from the Government,” she added.
Pressed on what action she will take, Ms Truss said she would act within one week.
She said: “If I’m elected as prime minister, within one week I will make sure there is an announcement on how we are going to deal with the issue of energy bills and of long-term supply to put this country on the right footing for winter.
“What I want to reassure people is I will act, if elected as prime minister, within one week. Now what I can’t do, Laura, on this show, is tell you exactly what that announcement would be. We still don’t know the outcome of this leadership contest. So, it would be completely wrong.”
Sam Rkaina4 September 2022 09:37
1662280617
Truss refuses to give specifics on energy plans
Liz Truss would not be drawn on specifics of what action she would take to help people with energy bills.
Speaking to BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Truss said: “I will act if I’m elected as prime minister. I will act immediately on bills and on energy supply because I think those two things go hand in hand. We need to deal with the immediate problem, we need to help people. We need to help businesses. But we also need to sort out the supply issues.”
Repeatedly pressed on what form that action would take, Ms Truss said: “Before you have been elected as prime minister, you don’t have all the wherewithal to get the things done.
“So, this is why it will take a week to sort out the precise plans and make sure we are able to announce them. That is why I cannot go into details at this stage. It would be wrong. But what I want to be very clear about with the public is I understand that this is a huge problem.
“I understand people are worried and I want to reassure people that I am absolutely determined to sort out this issue as well as within a month, present a full plan for how we are going to reduce taxes, how we’re going to get the British economy going, and how we are going to find our way out of these very difficult times.”
Liz Truss has said she will act within a week of becoming leader
(PA Wire)
Sam Rkaina4 September 2022 09:36
1662279940
Schools ‘could cut teaching staff, increase class sizes and scrap trips’ due to soaring costs
Schools could be forced to cut teaching staff, increase class sizes and axe school trips as energy bills are expected to rise by 300 per cent, it has been warned.
The energy price cap does not cover schools and businesses, and will rise to £3,549 a year for those on default tariffs in October.
As a result, some schools will have to consider reducing the number of teaching assistants, scrapping building projects and school trips, as well as increasing the size of lessons and introducing restrictions on heating, it is claimed.
Click here for the full story.
Sam Rkaina4 September 2022 09:25
1662279517
Truss ‘not into detail’
Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry has said Liz Truss is “thick-skinned” but can be “quite lightweight” as she is not “into detail”.
Asked about Ms Truss’s strongest characteristic, Ms Thornberry told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “She’s very thick-skinned.
“I think her weakest characteristic is that she just isn’t somebody who’s into detail, and in that way can be quite lightweight and can be caught out.”
Sam Rkaina4 September 2022 09:18
1662279275
David Davis urges new leader to ‘put ideology to one side’
David Davis has said that the next prime minister will have to put ideology to one side as he warned tackling the cost-of-living crisis could require the same scale of funding as the pandemic furlough scheme.
The backbencher and former minister, who backed Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership contest, said it looked “likely” that Liz Truss would become the next prime minister.
He warned that she faces “probably the second most difficult brief” for a post-war prime minister.
“The only person with a worse brief coming in was Margaret Thatcher,” he told Sky News.
“It’s going be on a par with the furlough scheme in terms of it’s going to be tens of billions of costs.
“That is what should happen. It has to happen.
“It will involve, to some extent, putting your ideologies to one side.”
Sam Rkaina4 September 2022 09:14
1662277641
‘If Truss governs as she campaigned it will be disaster for UK’
Nicola Sturgeon has said “If Liz Truss governs as she has campaigned she will be a disaster not just for Scotland but for all of the UK”.
Speaking to Sophie Ridge on Sky News on Sunday morning, the Scottish first minister accused Ms Truss of focusing on niche priorities, including tax cuts for the very richest while people desperately need help to feed their families.
She also accused her of being “irresponsible” on fracking following reports the Tory frontrunner would scrap the ban shortly after winning the leadership contest.
Sam Rkaina4 September 2022 08:47
1662276857
Struggling families forced to rely on uniform and food banks as back-to-school costs ‘prohibitive’
Struggling families are being forced to rely on uniform and food donations for back-to-school supplies amid the escalating cost of living crisis.
Parents told The Independent they have had to seek help to provide the basics, while food banks have seen demand double during the summer holidays.
One charity warned the cost of sending children back to school was now “prohibitive” for many low-income families.
Click here for the full story.
The Salvation Army uniform bank in Maidstone opened to the public for the first time this year
(Zoe Tidman / The Independent)
Sam Rkaina4 September 2022 08:34
1662275086
NHS funding plan ‘not enough’
Victor Adebowale, chair of the NHS Confederation, has said Liz Truss’s proposed diversion of funding from the NHS to social care was not “good enough”.
Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Adebowale said he welcomed the acknowledgement that social care was “blocking the system”, but added “it’s not a choice between one or the other”.
“It is about doing both and we’ve been saying this for some time now. It’s good that she’s acknowledged that but I’m afraid that’s not going to be quite good enough.”
Sam Rkaina4 September 2022 08:04
1662273837
Metropolitan Police must learn from the “appalling mistakes of the past” Patel warns
The Metropolitan Police must learn from the “appalling mistakes of the past”, the Home Secretary has said in a letter to new commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.
It was announced in July that the former counter-terrorism policing chief would replace Dame Cressida Dick following her resignation, and in the letter Priti Patel refers to the need to restore “trust and confidence”.
In the three-page letter, dated September 2, Ms Patel references a host of recent controversies and failings as she stresses the need for a “transformation” of the Met.
She writes: “Several recent high-profile incidents have affected public trust and confidence across communities particularly in London – raising serious questions about the culture and standards in the MPS.
“These include Sarah Everard’s murder, strip searches of children, the vetting of police officers, basic respect and standards as exposed in the misconduct at Charing Cross police station in Operation Hotton, and the findings of the inquest into the handling of the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor.
“Londoners need to be assured that improvements are being made immediately and will have an impact.
“I expect the MPS, under your leadership, clearly to demonstrate that it will learn from the appalling mistakes of the past and move the culture away from the organisational defensiveness that has hindered progress and damaged public trust.
Sir Mark, whose tenure will begin on September 12, takes over at a difficult time for the Met, with a new Home Secretary likely to be appointed once either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak takes over as prime minister.
Ms Patel writes elsewhere in the letter: “It is absolutely vital that trust and confidence is restored and that visible, responsive policing which cuts crime is at the forefront.
“I expect the Metropolitan Police under your leadership to get the basics right and provide the first-class service expected of it.
“Leadership is central to delivering these changes and I support your ambition to ensure a strong top team that can deliver the extensive reform that is required.
“I also expect you, as commissioner, to promote better leadership and higher standards at every level throughout the force.”
Ms Patel, who is likely entering her final few days as Home Secretary, also told the incoming Met chief that the force is “failing to get the basics right”.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has written to the new Met Police chief (PA)
(PA Wire)
Sam Rkaina4 September 2022 07:43
1662270306
Truss pledges ‘immediate action’ for energy bills
Liz Truss has said she will set out “immediate action” on energy bills during her first week in office, if she becomes prime minister on Tuesday.
The Foreign Secretary, widely tipped to defeat rival Rishi Sunak when the Tory leadership winner is announced on Monday, has said she will be capable of making “difficult decisions” as prime minister to get the UK through the energy crisis.
There have been ever-louder calls in recent weeks that the government intervene to support the most vulnerable, with energy bills set to rise to around £3,500 this winter for the average household.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Ms Truss said she would appoint a council of economic advisers to help guide her and her chancellor.
She says: “I understand how challenging the cost of living crisis is for everyone. These are tough times and the months ahead will be hard.
She said that she will take “immediate action” to tackle the cost-of-living crisis for families and businesses, while also delivering a “broader plan to get our economy growing, make it more resilient and make it more competitive”.
If elected, I plan within the first week of my new administration to set out our immediate action on energy bills and energy supply.
Liz Truss
“A fiscal event would follow later this month from my chancellor, with a broader package of action on the economy.”
“We need to take the difficult decisions to ensure we are not in this position every autumn and winter.
“Sticking plasters and kicking the can down the road will not do. I am ready to take the tough decisions to rebuild our economy.”
Stuti Mishra4 September 2022 06:45
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/liz-truss-rishi-sunak-tory-leadership-vote-results-news-live-b2159323.html
