Nearly 130,000 people have signed a petition calling for an emergency budget to tackle the energy and cost of living crisis - as the government continues to stall.
This morning former Chancellor Sajid Javid - a key supporter of leadership favourite Liz Truss - said he "assumed" the Treasury is drawing up plans to present to the new Prime Minister.
Ms Truss has repeatedly said she will put forward an emergency budget "as soon as possible" if she takes office, but this is likely to take weeks to get through.
Meanwhile a petition supporting a call by former Labour PM Gordon Brown for immediate measures including a rise in Universal Credit had been signed by 127,000 by 8.30am.
Tory leadership contenders had been urged to get in a room with Boris Johnson and hammer out a response to the unfolding crisis - which could see energy bills pass £100 a WEEK by the spring according to a bleak forecast released yesterday.
But this has yet to happen, with Ms Truss last week dismissing this as a "kangaroo committee" and Mr Johnson jetting off on his second holiday in a fortnight.
Campaign group 38 Degrees said the numbers wanting to sign shows how desperate people are for help in the wake of soaring inflation.
Strategic director Ellie Gellard said: "More than 118,000 people are backing Gordon Brown's call for an emergency budget to help hungry kids and stop families from freezing this winter.
"38 Degrees' polling shows two out of three people support all the measures he has put on the table to take control of this crisis - including extra help for eight million vulnerable families and cancelling the energy price rise.
"Britain is so much better than our leadership right now. While PM frontrunner 'do nothing' Liz Truss keeps families in the dark about whether any lifelines are coming, the message from the British public is clear: act big and act now."
Metro mayors, anti-poverty groups and faith leaders have joined Mr Brown in urging the Government to announce an emergency budget that boosts Universal Credit.
The petition states: "The Government must act NOW to stop millions of people going hungry and falling into poverty. The cost of living crisis is already hitting families hard - and with energy bills set to soar even more, things are going from bad to worse.
"That’s why former PM Gordon Brown - joined by Metro Mayors, anti-poverty groups and faith leaders - is urging the Government to announce an emergency budget this week that boosts Universal Credit immediately."
This morning Mr Javid defended Ms Truss, who looks increasingly likely to take office next month, she "will act very quickly" on the economy through an emergency budget if made prime minister.
Mr Javid told Sky News: "Tax cuts, I think they are especially important for long-term growth, we're can't tax our way into growth and she's set that out....
"She's also announced she's going to freeze the energy levies on bills for at least a year, and that will help but I think she's also recognised that a lot more will have to be done and the right way to do that, is that if you become prime minister is then to, with your team, is to sit down and work out, taking into account the latest picture, the latest evidence, we'll have morinformation for example on the (energy) price cap by then and to decide, but to do it very quickly.
"She's absolutely right to say there will be an emergency budget. I would assume the Treasury's already working on plans (from) an incoming new prime minister.
"They will present those to Liz and her team and she will act very quickly and that's what's going to matter."
