Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Tuesday promised to provide more money to help people cope with soaring household energy bills if he is elected Britain's Prime Minister next month.
The 42-year-old Indian-origin finalist in the Conservative Party leadership election pledged government "efficiency savings" to fund the support, while limiting borrowing. His pledge came as energy consultancy Cornwall Insight issued a forecast to say that household heating bills are expected to rise even further this winter than previously predicted.
"There is no doubt in my mind that more support will be needed," Sunak said.
"As soon as we know how much bills will go up by, I will act," he said.
The issue has dominated the campaign for the two finalists, with rival Foreign Secretary Liz Truss focussed on pledges to cut taxes – something the former finance minister has warned would risk making the high inflation even worse.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, a key Sunak ally in the leadership race, warned that the governing Conservatives will be writing an “electoral suicide note” if Truss is elected to push ahead with her plans for an emergency tax-cutting budget.
“As Conservative Party members decide which way to cast their vote over the coming weeks, I urge them to consider this point carefully. If we go to the country in September with an emergency budget that fails to measure up to the task, voters will not forgive us as they see their living standards eroded and the financial security they cherish disappear before their eyes,” he writes in ‘The Times'.