There have been increasingly loud calls in recent weeks for the government to step in to support the most vulnerable, with energy bills rising to around £3,500 this winter for the average household. The foreign secretary, who is widely tipped to beat rival Rishi Sunak when the Tory leadership winner is announced on Monday, told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday that the UK faces “some very, very serious challenges” that will demand immediate action from the government. Politics hub: Boris Johnson ‘could be tempted’ to run again Pressed on what action she would take, Ms Truss said she would act quickly. He said: “If elected prime minister, within a week I will make sure there is an announcement on how we are going to deal with the issue of energy bills and long-term supply to put this country on the right footing. basis for the winter”. However, he said what he can’t do “is tell you exactly what that announcement would be.” He added: “We still don’t know the outcome of this leadership contest. So it would be completely wrong.” Throughout the leadership campaign, Ms Truss pledged to “start cutting taxes from day one” with a new Budget and Spending Review that would reverse April’s rise in national insurance and its corporation tax rise next year from 19% to 25%.7 It has been criticized that this will benefit higher earners rather than low earners. Ms Truss insisted her plan was “fair” when pressed on what she will do next. “Seeing everything through the lens of redistribution, I think is wrong. Because what I mean is growing the economy and growing the economy benefits everybody,” he said. Although Ms Truss hinted at more support for households, she would not say whether she would freeze energy bills – as Labor has suggested – reiterating that we will know her plan next week if she becomes prime minister. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:29 The final exits in the Tory leadership campaign And when asked if she would give people money to pay their energy bills, she said the issue was serious but her first port of call would be to sort out supply and resources in the North Sea. She insisted she was ‘not shy’ refusing to go into detail, adding: ‘What I was very clear about is that I would act immediately within a week. I understand what people are going through about their energy bills.” It comes after he told the Sunday Telegraph that “plastering and kicking the can down the road won’t do” as a solution. Truss to ‘act immediately’ on energy crisis – ally suggests Johnson ‘may be tempted’ to run again – Politics Latest She said she would appoint a council of economic advisers to help her and her chancellor – within her first week in office. “There will be a budget event later this month from my chancellor, with a wider package of action for the economy,” he added. More on the cost of living crisis: Care home provider warns of closures due to rising energy costs UK food prices hit biggest rise in 14 years Subscribe to the Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker A poll among Tory party members showed Mrs Truss would win the leadership race. Mr Sunak reiterated that he would continue as an MP if he loses the leadership election during his interview with Kuenssberg. He also did not rule out running for the leadership again if he does not win this time. He said: “We’ve just finished this campaign. So, I would say… I have to recover from it. But I’m looking forward to supporting the Conservative government in any capacity.” On the cost of living crisis, he said it “simply cannot be solved for everyone” but would target the most vulnerable in any support package. The new prime minister “faces the second most difficult period after World War II” The interviews came as the two candidates were warned that the next prime minister faces the second most difficult task since the Second World War. Speaking to Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Senior Tory David Davis said whoever inherits the keys to No 10 faces the second toughest post-war record after Margaret Thatcher. He suggested the cost of living challenge would cost tens of billions of pounds. “I really don’t think any of the candidates, not even one of those who passed, really know how big this is going to be,” he said. “It will be on a par with the license regime in terms of costing tens of billions.” Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 1:29 Truce will be good if it is “inclusive” Meanwhile, former chancellor Lord Philip Hammond said the incoming prime minister would need to provide help with “huge energy bills”. He said tax cuts were “simply not the answer” to the cost of living crisis and his advice to the next No 10 is to be “honest with the British people about the challenges we face in the short term”. However, when told it sounded like it was “more on Rishi Sunak’s side”, he said: “I look at the bookies, I look at the polls and I’m sure they’re going to have a Truss government.” He went on to say that Ms Truss was a “wonderful” chief secretary to the Treasury when she was chancellor and that she “works very hard”. Read more: Tory leadership race draws to a close with winner announced on Monday Who proposes what to tackle rising energy bills He added: “I think he can make a very good prime minister, but he has to do it by being inclusive. “She will send a clear message as early as Tuesday when she starts forming her cabinet. “And it needs to be a cabinet that reflects the talent across the Conservative Party and sends a message to the country that this will be a government that focuses on tradition, competence, honesty and implementing those values with realism way”.
