Thursday 18 August 2022 03:13 PM Tory MP says cooking lessons and help quitting smoking can help with cost of ... trends now

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Struggling Britons should get cooking lessons and help quitting smoking to ease the cost-of-living pressure, a Tory MP has insisted.

Sir Robert Goodwill insisted cutting spending on cigarettes and takeaways could play a role in reducing the pain from rampant inflation.

The former minister's comments came after the headline CPI rate hit a new 40-year-high of 10.1 per cent - with fears it will peak at over 13 per cent later this year when energy bills spike again.

Official figures show wages are already plunging relative to prices at the fastest pace since records began in 2001.  

In an interview on Times Radio yesterday, Sir Robert said he was backing Rishi Sunak for Tory leader because he was offering targeted help to those struggling.

He said 'people have always needed to budget', but stressed that the government had taken action over many years such as raising the personal allowance to take more people out of tax altogether.