Wednesday 10 August 2022 09:31 PM Rishi Sunak vows to spend billions more on cost of living help for Britons trends now
Rishi Sunak tonight vowed to spend billions more to support Britons through the cost-of-living crisis - if he becomes prime minister - as he acknowledged a 'moral responsibility' to offer extra help.
The ex-chancellor, who is vying with Liz Truss for the Tory leadership, admitted families are facing a further £400 hit on average - due to soaring energy bills - since he announced previous support when he was still in the Treasury.
Mr Sunak steered clear of putting a 'precise figure' on how much extra households could expect to receive if he enters Number 10.
But he pledged to give more help to pensioners and those on benefits, while also vowing to cut VAT on energy bills - which he said could raise total support for families to around £700 to £800.
Mr Sunak and Ms Truss have this week exchanged a series of barbs over their approach to the cost-of-living crisis.
The ex-chancellor has been accused by his rival's camp of 'Gordon Brown-style politics' with a 'socialist tax and spend' agenda.
In a swipe back at the Foreign Secretary tonight, Mr Sunak suggested Ms Truss's tax-cutting proposals were not 'the moral thing to do'.
He also insisted that 'starry-eyed boosterism' would not steer the country through the inflation crisis.
Rishi Sunak pledged to give more help to pensioners and those on benefits, while also vowing to cut VAT on energy bills
The ex-chancellor was quizzed about his plans to provide extra help to struggling households in an interview with the BBC's Nick Robinson
In another jibe at Ms Truss, Mr Sunak claimed he would 'rather lose' the contest to become PM than promise 'false things I can't deliver'.
The ex-chancellor was quizzed about his plans to provide extra help to struggling households in an interview with the BBC's Nick Robinson.
Both he and Ms Truss have faced calls to pledge further support during the cost-of-living crisis after energy bills for typical households were this week forecast to soar to more than £4,200 next year.
'I do feel a moral responsibility as prime minister to go further and get extra help to people over the autumn and the winter to help them cope with what is going to be a really difficult time,' Mr Sunak said.
'I think that is the right priority.'
The Foreign Secretary has faced pressure to match Mr Sunak's promise of more direct support for families, after she previously steered away from pledging extra 'handouts' to ease the cost-of-living crisis.
Mr Sunak's
