Liz Truss has said she will use an emergency budget to “make sure support is on the way” amid rising energy bills if she becomes prime minister, despite repeatedly saying she favors cuts to ‘taxes on deliveries.
The Foreign Secretary made the comments, which could be read as going against much of what she has said previously, as she answered questions from TalkTV presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer at an event in Norwich on Thursday.
It comes as energy regulator Ofgem is expected to announce on Friday that the price cap will rise from £1,971 to around £3,500, much more than previously predicted.
The increase, which will take effect Oct. 1, is likely to pile even more pressure on leadership candidates to do more to help with the cost-of-living crisis, a divisive issue in the race to succeed Mr. Johnson.
Sky News has found that a third of households are already struggling to pay their energy bills.
Sunak has said he will offer direct support to households struggling to pay their bills, although he has not yet put a figure on how much help he is willing to give.
Ms Truss has repeatedly said she favors tax cuts over handouts, prompting criticism that her plans will benefit higher earners more than low earners.
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0:36 The public doesn’t trust you about the cost of living crisis
However, in her clearest indication yet that she is willing to go further, Mrs Truss said on Thursday night that she would use an emergency budget next month to “ensure support is on track to get us through these times difficult”.
Writing in the Daily Mail, she said: “If elected leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister, I will take decisive action to get into No 10 to provide immediate support, but I will also tackle the root causes of these problems so that we are never again in this difficult position.”
And according to The Times, the front-runner is said to have held talks with allies this week about a major support package, having agreed that the energy crisis will be the defining issue of her premiership if she wins the leadership race .