Here's a summary of the latest developments...
Boris Johnson has told senior officials to plan a “meaningful ministerial meeting” with devolved governments about cost of living support following calls from Nicola Sturgeon. In a letter to the outgoing prime minister on Monday, the Scottish first minister said an emergency meeting scheduled in September could not wait and must happen immediately.
Keir Starmer claimed Labour has been “leading” on the cost of living crisis following criticism of his response to the national issue. The Labour leader said he will announce further plans to tackle the crisis on Monday. He criticised the Conservative leadership contest and “lame duck” prime minister as he called for a “strategic, credible plan” in the face of the cost of living crisis. He also criticised the government for failing to prepare the UK for drought.
The government claimed that it is “better prepared than ever” after drought was declared in several parts of England. Water minister Steve Double has claimed that action is already being taken by the government and the Environment Agency (EA) after eight areas were moved to “drought” status – including Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent and South London, Herts and North London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, and East Midlands.
Liz Truss’s pledge to tackle “woke” civil service culture were condemned as “insulting and abhorrent” by a union representing civil servants. Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA, said: “She provides no evidence for her accusation that many civil servants will find both insulting and abhorrent.”
Rishi Sunak insisted he has a “fantastic chance” in the Tory leadership contest – despite the apparent dominance of his rival. Many Conservative party members, he said, “have not made up their mind”.
Keir Starmer teased Labour’s package to tackle the cost of living crisis, saying his party would end energy prepayment premiums which he claims would offer 4m households relief on bills. The announcement, which came in what is reportedly his first tweet this month, follows criticism of Labour’s inaction on the cost of living crisis.
Tory leadership candidate Liz Truss has pledged to clamp down on “woke” civil service culture that “strays into antisemitism”. The foreign secretary will also boost links between the UK and Israel, with the aim of securing a free trade deal, according to her campaign.
Boris Johnson insisted the government is doing everything it can amid cost of living crisis but admitted: “I’m not going to pretend that things are easy for people”. He claimed there is “more money coming” to help people in October and the new year.
Boris Johnson admitted that the government’s support package to tackle the cost of living crisis is not enough but claimed that whoever succeeds him as prime minister will ensure there is “extra cash to help people”. Speaking in north Wales, he said the government had already laid out several messages to help people but that not everybody will have received it yet.
That’s it from me for today. Thanks for reading.
As Kent battles scorched fields and wildfires, locals are uniting to counter South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay’s dismissal of climate crisis, writes Caroline Davies:
Under a cloudless sky in searing sun, Phillip Watts bends down to pick up a broken shell from the parched soil at his east Kent vineyard.
“My vineyard is eight metres above sea level, and I’ve got lots of pebbles in my soil because it used to be a beach,” he said, pointing at the shingle strewn around his award-winning vines. “And it’s going to be a beach again!”
“It’s scary. No doubt,” he said of the climate crisis.
Watts’ Barnsole Vineyard, near Staple, between Sandwich and Canterbury, lies in the constituency of South Thanet, which, according to recent data, had just 4mm of rain in July – making it one of the driest in the UK.
It is also the constituency of Craig Mackinlay, MP, a former Ukipper turned Conservative, who has regularly voted against measures to tackle climate change. As leader of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group (NZSC), a group of Tory backbenchers challenging the government’s net zero policies as “uncosted fairytales”, Mackinlay’s strong views are regularly expounded in a blog and in interviews.
They include describing net zero as an “elite delusion”. It would, he told the Daily Telegraph, “take this government down”. The rush to net zero”, he has tweeted, created the “madness in the energy market”. He is against a windfall tax on energy companies, and has dismissed the Cop26 summit as a “Glasgow jamboree”.
Downing Street has been promoting Boris Johnson’s visit to Airbus’s site in Broughton:
Today Prime Minister @BorisJohnson visited @AirbusintheUK’s Broughton site, which manufactures over 450 wing sets for commercial aircraft each year.
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) August 12, 2022
Airbus has invested more than £2 billion in the plant over the last ten years, bringing thousands of skilled jobs to the area. pic.twitter.com/rt9cufjkTo
Johnson to meet devolved governments about cost of living support following calls from Sturgeon
Boris Johnson has told senior officials to plan a “meaningful ministerial meeting” with devolved governments about cost of living support following calls from Nicola Sturgeon.
In a letter to the outgoing prime minister on Monday, the Scottish first minister said an emergency meeting scheduled in September could not wait and must happen immediately.
PA Media reports that Johnson has now written back, saying:
I agree that the response to these pressures will be best served by the UK and devolved governments working collaboratively to navigate these challenges together.
He said he has asked his permanent secretary for the union to “continue working with your officials to plan for a meaningful ministerial meeting with heads of devolved governments to consider how best to further support hardworking families”.
The date of the meeting is not known.
In her letter, Sturgeon wrote:
This situation is fast deteriorating and many people across the UK simply cannot afford to wait until September for further action to be taken.
I am therefore writing to seek an emergency meeting of the Heads of Government Council and propose that we, as leaders of our respective governments, meet as soon as possible this week to discuss and agree urgent steps to help those in most need now, and also formulate a plan of action for the autumn and winter ahead.
It came after Johnson admitted earlier today the government’s cost of living support was not enough and said: “I’m not going to pretend that things are easy for people” (see 11:29).
Updated
Boris Johnson has acknowledged that the package of support to help people pay surging energy bills is not enough, as the split deepens between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss over how to deal with the crisis.
Amid forecasts that energy bills could hit £5,000 a year by next April, the prime minister made clear that he expected his successor to act.
Asked if the current package of £400 off bills, rising to £650 for vulnerable households, was enough, Johnson said: “No, because what I’m saying what we’re doing in addition is trying to make sure that by October, by January, there is further support, and what the government will be doing, whoever is the prime minister, is making sure there is extra cash to help people.”
Boris Johnson used “rude” words when Douglas Ross called for him to quit, the Scottish Conservative leader has claimed.
Ross, who was among the first senior Conservatives to tell the prime minister to step down over partygate before later rescinding his calls in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, told Iain Dale at the Edinburgh fringe “he was not particularly pleased”, reports PA Media.
He was angry, one of his MPs was saying they no longer had confidence in him, I think it would be a difficult conversation to have for any party leader to have your MPs telling you that, particularly when you’re the Prime Minister - that ratchets it up a notch.
Asked to elaborate on whether the words Johnson used were “Latin words” – a euphemism for swearing – he said: “They were rude, they weren’t necessarily Latin.”
After his view became public, Jacob Rees-Mogg, then leader of the House of Commons, repeatedly referred to him as a “lightweight”.
Ross said:
This is clearly a line, they wanted to dampen down any potential dissent. When Jacob Rees-Mogg made those comments, I said ‘well, you’re entitled to that view’ - I disagree with it, I’ve never said anything about Jacob Rees-Mogg, I don’t think we’ve actually ever spoken before in the five years that I’ve been in the House of Commons.
For someone who prides himself on being very courteous to colleagues, it was a surprise.
Heir to Boris Johnson? Liz Truss has shown a Johnson-like tendency to rush into new policies and be vague or inaccurate with facts, write Peter Walker and Jessica Elgot.
She truly is the heir to BoJo,” one Sunak-supporting source said. “Her team cut and paste policy, put something out in black and white, claim it’s been misinterpreted, and get Brandon [Lewis, a key ally of Johnson and now Truss] out to poop-scoop the next day.
Writing for the Guardian, Caroline Lucas, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion said the declaration of drought across much of England is not a freak occurrence but the “consequence of years of inaction on the climate emergency”.
This is producing a perfect storm of energy insecurity, food supply chaos and extreme weather that is wreaking havoc on society.
Getting a firm grip on this crisis requires both immediate and long-term solutions. Our lame duck government is offering neither. It’s clear that the privatisation experiment for water companies has failed. They’re fit for profit, not for purpose.
Updated
Nothing could possibly be longer than this Conservative leadership race – not even the final minute of your washing machine cycle. Every promise made in it should be treated with the same deference you’d reserve for the claim that the tab closure on a cardboard cereal box “seals in freshness”. Given the crises raging outside, the contest resembles a Dickensian reality show, in which two grotesques compete to run the workhouse, simply refusing to be thrown off course by the increasingly desperate entreaties of their paupers. Who, as a mark of lavishly sarcastic respect, are these days referred to as “clients”.
A drought has been declared across wide swathes of England after a meeting of experts.
The prolonged dry conditions, with some areas of the country not receiving significant rainfall all summer, have caused the National Drought Group to declare an official drought.
The Environment Agency has moved into drought in eight of its 14 areas: Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent and south London, Herts and north London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, and the east Midlands.
Documents seen by the Guardian show the Environment Agency expects a further two areas will move into drought later in August. These are Yorkshire and West Midlands.
The Faulkland Inn near Bath has come through recessions, wars and Covid but is being beaten by soaring costs, writes Anna Tims:
When the Faulkland Inn first opened its doors, George II was on the throne and Britain was at war with Spain. Since then, the 280-year-old coaching inn has weathered a dozen recessions, two world wars and the Covid pandemic. Now soaring energy bills have proved a battle too far. The village pub near Bath is facing closure with the loss of eight jobs because it can no longer afford to keep the lights on.
Our gas and energy bills have doubled since April and we’re facing annual fuel costs of at least £20,000, which will wipe out our profits,” says the landlord, Andy Machen. “Until April we needed to make £2,500 over the four days a week we are open in order to break even; now we’d need to make £4,000 and are paying staff out of our personal savings.
Updated
A new campaign group urging the government to do more to tackle the cost of living crisis will kick off a series of 50 rallies across Britain with a launch event in London next week.
Trade unions, community groups, tenants’ organisations and politicians launched the Enough is Enough campaign this week and it has already received 300,000 sign-ups with the launch video viewed more than 6m times.
“There’s always another crisis and it’s always workers who pay the price,” said Dave Ward, the general secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) who along with Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), will speak at the first rally on Wednesday evening at the Clapham Grand venue in south London.
Like the TUC, Enough is Enough is calling for this autumn’s energy price cap increase to be cancelled as soaring bills push household finances to the brink. There is growing evidence that people are already struggling, with the number contacting Citizens Advice because they cannot afford both food and energy having jumped more than threefold in a year, according to recent figures published by the charity.
Enough is Enough is also calling for a “real” pay rise for workers which it defines as a public sector pay increase in line with inflation and a pathway to a £15 minimum wage. The current minimum wage rate for adults aged 23 and over is £9.50. It also wants the government to end food poverty by introducing free school meals for all and reinstating the £20-a-week universal credit uplift.
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Starmer hits back at criticism of cost of living crisis response, claiming Labour has been 'leading' on the issue
Keir Starmer claims Labour has been “leading” on the cost of living crisis following criticism of his response to the national issue. The Labour leader said he will announce further plans to tackle the crisis on Monday.
He criticised the Conservative leadership contest and “lame duck” prime minister as he called for a “strategic, credible plan” in the face of the cost of living crisis.
He also criticised the government for failing to prepare the UK for drought (see also 14:17).
He said during a visit to Scotland:
It was nearly 12 months ago now on energy bills that we proposed insulation of homes, a massive project to bring down the costs.
In January we said there should be a windfall tax, it took the government five months to catch up with that idea and implement it. We also said that VAT should be taken off energy bills – Rishi Sunak is only just now recognising that Labour got it right again.
After trailing plans for pre-payment meters, he added:
On Monday I’m going to be setting out a comprehensive set of proposals, a plan for how we handle the upcoming costs in the autumn, while what you’ve had from the Conservative Party is two leadership candidates arguing with each other about just how appalling their record in government has been, and a prime minister who’s a lame duck – he recognises there’s a problem and he’s not prepared to do anything about it.
So, for the best part of 12 months, Labour has been absolutely leading on this issue.
Updated
We reported earlier on Liz Truss’s claim that the civil service is beset by “creeping antisemitism”.
On this subject, the Sun’s Noa Hoffman says she has been contacted by a Jewish civil servant:
Message I received re Truss: "I'm a Jewish civil servant (grew up modern orthodox) and I have absolutely no idea what she's referring to. What does 'Woke civil service culture strays into antisemitism' even mean? I've never worked in a more inclusive and diverse environment" /1
— Noa Hoffman (@hoffman_noa) August 12, 2022
"I feel these sort of comments try to victimise Jews and cynically instrumentalise (sic) our experience." 2/2
— Noa Hoffman (@hoffman_noa) August 12, 2022
Updated
Labour leader Keir Starmer has accused the government of failing to fully prepare the UK for drought, hitting out also at the response of water companies.
Responding to the news that millions of people across England face water restrictions due to the official declaration of drought in eight areas, he said:
There’s a familiar pattern here, which is we’ve got a government with no strategy.
This drought, this hot period, was predictable. But, as usual, we had no plan from the government and this is the pattern, this is the character of this government.
On the water companies, he added:
Water companies aren’t doing enough to deal with leakages and other problems.
We saw the sewage going into rivers and I think that some of the regulations should have been better used.
I would have liked to have seen much greater fines against those companies that aren’t doing what is necessary.
Updated
Government claims 'better prepared than ever' after drought declared across much of England
The government has claimed that it is “better prepared than ever” after drought was declared in several parts of England.
Water minister Steve Double has claimed that action is already being taken by the government and the Environment Agency (EA) after eight areas were moved to “drought” status – including Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent and South London, Herts and North London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, and East Midlands.
“All water companies have reassured us that essential supplies are still safe, and we have made it clear it is their duty to maintain those supplies,” he said.
“We are better prepared than ever before for periods of dry weather, but we will continue to closely monitor the situation, including impacts on farmers and the environment, and take further action as needed.”
The drought declaration comes after the driest July on record in some areas and the driest first half of the year since 1976.
The latest EA data showed rainfall totals for August have ranged from 12% of the long-term average in north-east England to 0% in south-east and south-west England.
River flow data indicates that close to 90% of measuring sites were showing below normal readings, with 29% classed as “exceptionally low”.
Updated
Boris Johnson has failed to deny claims by Rishi Sunak that he is refusing to take calls from his former chancellor.
A month after he resigned from cabinet – precipitating Johnson’s ousting from Downing Street – Sunak told a hustings event for the Conservative leadership race on Thursday night that Johnson was refusing to answer or return calls from him.
Asked if he would stop ignoring Sunak’s calls, the prime minister told reporters during a visit to north Wales: “That’s one of those Westminster questions that doesn’t change the price of fish.
“There are plenty of things that do change the price of fish, not least the price of energy, but that’s not one of them.”
Updated
Liz Truss has set out a plan to “protect British Jewry” from “creeping antisemitism” and “woke culture” in the civil service, while praising Jews for holding values such as protecting the family unit and setting up businesses.
The Conservative leadership candidate published a plan that targets “woke civil service culture that strays into antisemitism”. She did not give examples of this but it is thought to be a reference to councils and their pension funds that participate in boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) policies that involve cutting ties with businesses that invest in Israel.
Angela Rayner has criticised the Conservative party leadership contest structure – questioning why members of the party who live abroad are allowed to vote.
Citing a BBC report on Conservative Abroad – the 1% of Conservative party members (approximately 1% of its estimated 160,000 members) who are permitted to vote from outside the UK – the deputy Labour leader tweeted:
Why do some Tory supporters who don’t even live in this country have more say over the next PM than the public?
— Angela Rayner 🌹 (@AngelaRayner) August 12, 2022
Families are sick with worry about how they'll pay the bills. The Tories have no answers to the problems facing our country. https://t.co/GLU7g9eZ9H
Truss's civil service comments 'insulting and abhorrent'
Liz Truss’s pledge to tackle “woke” civil service culture (see 11:38) have been condemned as “insulting and abhorrent” by a union representing civil servants.
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA, said:
The Conservatives have been in government for more than 12 years now and, for most of that time, Liz Truss has been a minister.
So, accusations of ‘civil service wokeism’ are a little ironic, given it’s essentially a criticism of their own leadership.
However, Truss’s accusation of antisemitism goes further than the usual dog-whistle politics that has been on display during this leadership campaign when it comes to the civil service.
He added:
She provides no evidence for her accusation that many civil servants will find both insulting and abhorrent.
A prime minister is also minister for the civil service, and throwing around such unfounded inflammatory accusations illustrates a lack of leadership, the very thing that she claims to be demonstrating.
Updated
Rishi Sunak (see also 12:09) said he would seek a “constructive solution” to issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol through talks with other leaders.
Northern Ireland’s economy, he claimed, is being “pulled out of the orbit” of that of the rest of the UK.
The former chancellor told Times Radio:
Quite simply, at the moment the economy of Northern Ireland is being pulled out of the orbit of the rest of the economy of the United Kingdom, and that’s wrong.
He added:
The bill that’s in parliament is one that I support, that will address them, but it will take time, so I hope as the new prime minister I can sit down and have a constructive relationship with the Irish, French and European governments to make sure we can try and see if we can find a constructive solution to this problem, not least because it’d mean we could solve it far faster than the time it takes the bill to get through parliament.
People should be in no doubt that it’s wrong what is happening, the Northern Ireland economy should of course be an integral part of the UK economy, it shouldn’t be sucked out, and I will make sure that doesn’t happen as PM.
Updated
Sunak insists he still has 'fantastic chance' in Tory leadership contest despite Truss's apparent dominance
Rishi Sunak insists he has a “fantastic chance” in the Tory leadership contest – despite the apparent dominance of his rival.
Many Conservative party members, he said, “have not made up their mind”.
In an interview with Times Radio, in which he was asked why he was still campaigning when his rival when Liz Truss appeared to be so far ahead, he said:
I’m fighting passionately for the things that I believe are best for this country and the reception I’m getting everywhere I go is positive, people are responding well and I think I’ve got a fantastic chance to make progress in this campaign.
All the polls don’t say that actually, there was a poll of councillors the other day – and there have hardly been any polls to be honest – which showed it was completely evenly split between me and Liz Truss and people who don’t know, and that’s the point.
Other extracts from the interview:
"I don't need £200. You don't need £200, why do you need £200 when people can't afford to heat their dinner?" @MattChorley
— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) August 12, 2022
"People on very low incomes and pensioners, Liz Truss' plans do nothing for those people." @RishiSunak
Public services are on their knees in this country, whose fault is it? - @MattChorley
— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) August 12, 2022
"I have been in the cabinet for the last few years. I'm really proud of my record ... I'm looking to the future, I've got plans to reform the NHS." - @RishiSunak
How will the hosepipe ban affect you, how's the swimming pool? @MattChorley
— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) August 12, 2022
We need to make sure our water companies are held to account, and also our rivers are not polluted - @RishiSunak
Updated
Starmer says Labour would end energy prepayment premiums, following criticism on cost of living crisis
Keir Starmer has teased Labour’s package to tackle the cost of living crisis, saying his party would end energy prepayment premiums which he claims would offer 4m households relief on bills.
The announcement, which came in what is reportedly his first tweet this month, follows criticism of Labour’s inaction on the cost of living crisis.
He accused the Conservatives of forcing the poorest to pay more to heat and light their homes.
He said:
Those with the least shouldn’t pay more to heat their homes and turn on their lights.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) August 12, 2022
But under the Tories, they do.
Labour would end energy prepayment premiums, giving 4m households relief on bills.
This is part of our energy package to tackle the cost of living crisis.
Liz Truss pledges to target 'woke' civil service culture
Tory leadership candidate Liz Truss has pledged to clamp down on “woke” civil service culture that “strays into antisemitism”.
The foreign secretary will also boost links between the UK and Israel, with the aim of securing a free trade deal, according to her campaign.
In a statement released after she spoke at a synagogue in Manchester, she said culture in the civil service “can be changed”.
She said:
Every organisation has its culture, but it’s not fixed, it can be changed.
That’s what ministerial leadership is about: it’s about making sure that the policies we represent, the values we stand for, are reflected in what we do.
Updated
Boris Johnson admits he cannot 'pretend that things are easy'
Boris Johnson (see also 11:15) insists the government is doing everything it can amid cost of living crisis but admits: “I’m not going to pretend that things are easy for people”.
The prime minister said during a visit to north Wales:
The price of energy we’re going to bring down by investment in British supply in renewables, in nuclear and all the other. I’m not going to pretend that things are easy for people right now. You’re right to push me because we’re doing everything that we can.
He claimed there is “more money coming” to help people in October and the new year.
Asked whether voters in “blue wall” seats had been let down, he defended his legacy, citing “colossal investment” in Wales.
On the contrary, if you look at what has happened in Wales alone, it has been an era of fantastic investment in infrastructure. Look at what we are doing on the A55 and what we are doing with the north Wales railway.
I was just not long ago at a place called Penmaenmawr where we are looking at improvements to the station. I think there are another 600 police here in Wales than there were before I became Prime Minister. You have seen colossal investment.
Updated
During the visit, Boris Johnson avoided a question over whether he would stop ignoring his potential successor Rishi Sunak’s calls, which he said “doesn’t change the price of fish”.
That’s one of those Westminster questions that doesn’t change the price of fish. There are plenty of things that do change the price of fish, not least the price of energy, but that’s not one of them.
Updated
Boris Johnson admits government's cost of living support not enough but claims his successor will ensure there is 'extra cash to help people'
Boris Johnson has admitted that the government’s support package to tackle the cost of living crisis is not enough but claimed that whoever succeeds him as prime minister will ensure there is “extra cash to help people”.
Speaking in north Wales, he said the government had already laid out several messages to help people but that not everybody will have received it yet.
Asked whether the package was enough, he said:
No, because what I’m saying what we’re doing in addition is trying to make sure that by October, by January, there is further support and what the Government will be doing, whoever is the prime minister, is making sure there is extra cash to help people.
I think it is crucial to understand that, first of all, we realised for a long time that things were going to be tough and that’s why we put in place a lot of measures already.
The money has started to come through. I think it is very important for people to understand, most people have not yet received the help the government has already allocated, so over the course of the next couple of months you will see about eight million households get another £326, you will see everybody in October get help with the energy support scheme.
He claimed the government was taking both short and long-term action to address the energy crisis in a bid to “undo the tragic mistakes of the past”.
What this government is doing is now green-lighting nuclear energy when for the whole of the period of the Labour government not a single nuclear power plant was started. So, we are doing stuff in the short term and in the medium term and in the long term.
Thanks to his government, he claimed, the country is in a “robust economic situation” with “virtually record-low unemployment”.
Updated
Lib Dems urge ministers to 'act now' to avoid recession
The Lib Dems have urged the government to act immediately on the economy to boost confidence and avoid recession.
Sarah Olney, the party’s Treasury spokesperson, accused the government of being “missing in action”.
She warned:
The warning lights are flashing red but the government is missing in action.
There’s no time to waste, ministers must act now to boost confidence and avoid a recession.
It’s time to reassure families by scrapping the energy price rise, funded through a windfall tax on the record profits of oil and gas giants.
“There's no time to waste, ministers must act now to boost confidence and avoid a recession.” @sarahjolney1 pic.twitter.com/oQycDHAuJH
— Lib Dem Media Office (@LibDemPress) August 12, 2022
Updated
Shadow business secretary defends Starmer's 'relentless' work ethic as he says he is spending time with his family
Still on the defensive, the shadow business secretary has turned his attention to Labour leader Keir Starmer whose “relentless” work ethic he said “I honestly cannot fault” and that he is spending time with his family.
Jonathan Reynolds told LBC:
He is working like he does every day on the job. I honestly cannot fault the man’s work ethic.
Asked whether the opposition leader was on annual leave, Reynolds said he was “spending some time with his family”.
I think he is spending some time with his family and that is the right thing to do, but I cannot fault the man’s work ethic, he has been relentless since he became leader of the opposition.
Labour, he claimed, was “getting the detail” of its plans to tackle rising energy bills, adding that they only had success in their calls for a windfall tax because their proposals were detailed and costed.
Updated
In a further defence of Labour’s record in opposition on cost of living (see also 10:05), the shadow business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, claimed that the party have been stating their position “consistently and regularly”.
He told the BBC:
I think you have got to say that in opposition you have got to make the point consistently and regularly, not just for an intervention but for exactly what you would do.
That is what we have had from Keir [Starmer] and the Labour party from the beginning of this year.
Asked again what interventions his party would make, he said:
I think when you are in opposition it is not just about calling for something to happen, it is about putting forward exactly what you would do on a costed basis.
Labour, he added, would be laying out their proposals shortly.
Hi, I’ll be looking after the politics blog over the next few hours. If you have any tips or suggestions, please get in touch: miranda.bryant@guardian.co.uk
Updated
Labour defends response to energy bills crisis
While the government is facing criticism for its handling of the energy bills crisis, Labour has not escaped unscathed.
Both Lib Dem leader Ed Davey and former Labour PM Gordon Brown have set out plans to address the issue – but Labour has been accused of silence.
Defending the party’s performance, shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told ITV this morning that Labour had been ahead of the government on support in the past.
We set out our plans for a windfall tax to help people with their energy bills in January of this year.
We set out a programme for a national insulation programme to reduce energy consumption in September last year.
We are going to be making more announcements over the next few days.
Updated
Government 'looking at options' to protect consumers
Good morning. As energy bills continue to rise, the government is being questioned over what it is planning to do to protect consumers.
Speaking on Sky News this morning, chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said the energy price cap “continues to protect consumers”. Speaking of the meeting with energy bosses that took place on Thursday, he said: “The reason the industry came in yesterday partly was to say: ‘OK, what can we do together if there is market failure for us to bring pressure down on the energy price cap?’ And there were material suggestions that we’re working up now ready for the new prime minister on that.”
He also said that the government was “looking at all the options” for additional help, but it would be for the next prime minister to take the decisions.
“My message to families today is: we will have those options ready to go.
“Yesterday I met with the industry to look at what more we can do with the industry on direct debit, on pre-payment meters, all the things that families are worried about, we’re making sure we’re doing the work so on 5 September the new prime minister can hit the ground running and get those things into place.”
My colleague Ben Quinn reports that Rishi Sunak has pledged in the Times this morning an extra £10bn to help vulnerable people with soaring bills. His report is here.
Liz Truss has stood by her tax-cutting plans, saying it is her “first preference” before considering other measures. The foreign secretary has hinted she would consider further support for struggling households, but insisted she will not “write the budget in advance”.
Meanwhile, Labour says it will tackle the fact that people on prepayment energy meters – often those on lower incomes – are forced to pay more than people on direct debits.
Updated
