Acknowledging he would have to increase government borrowing to tackle the crisis, the former chancellor outlined what he envisioned would be a support package for up to 16 million vulnerable people. “People need reassurance now about what we are going to do and I make no apologies for focusing on what matters most,” Sunak wrote in The Times, which reported he estimated the energy VAT cut at £5 billion. He is also said to have pledged to find the same amount again to help those most in need, saying: “You can’t heat your house with hope.” It comes after Sunak claimed Liz Truss’ cost of living plans could put vulnerable people at risk of “real impoverishment”, with economic policy once again driving a wedge between the candidates. As Sunak and Truss took to the stage for the final Tory parties in Cheltenham, Sunak refused to rule out “some limited and temporary one-off borrowing as a last resort to get us through this winter”. He also said that without further direct payments, pensioners and people on very low incomes could face severe hardship. But work and pensions secretary Thérèse Coffey, who supports Truss, hit back on Friday morning, taking a swipe at Sunak for not waiting for energy regulator Ofgem to make a key announcement on the energy price cap before his last intervention. . Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Defending Truss, Coffey said: “She’s absolutely an MP who knows what it’s like for struggling households and that’s why, quite rightly, once Ofgem comes up with the price cap… the whole government… and it will be a decision for the new prime minister to establish what changes could be made.” Referring to Sunak, she said: “I appreciate what he is saying, but Ofgem has not reported. When he was chancellor he waited for Ofgem’s report before making any proposals.” Coffey told BBC Radio 4’s Today show that she had provided this previous support through legislation and at the time had been “blocked within government” when she asked for powers to make payments more quickly. “I have delivered it through legislation and then I asked for powers to be able to make payments more quickly. This was not given to me. That’s been blocked within government so if we’re going to do things through the welfare system we’re going to have to do brand new primary legislation,” he said. Sunak’s comments on Thursday’s protests came after Truss, in her own Q&A session at the event, reiterated her belief that tax cuts should be the primary response to the bill surge. Truss told the audience of Tory MPs that this would always be her “first port of call”, followed by a focus on longer-term energy supply issues such as support for fracking and nuclear power. Truss said she could provide other help but gave no details, saying she “can’t write the chancellor’s budget” before the prime minister is even elected. “If the answer to every question is to raise taxes, we’re going to stifle economic growth and lead to impoverishment, and I think that’s a huge problem,” he said.
