Boris Johnson has said that “no option is off the table” to tackle rising living costs as pressure grows to impose a windfall tax on oil and gas firms.
Proceeds from a one-off levy on company profits could support households facing surging bills.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said part of the answer to tackling the cost of living was a windfall tax and it was “staring the Prime Minister in the face”.
He said ministers needed to address the situation, adding: “Every day they dither and delay, more people are struggling, really struggling, with their bills.”
The PM said he was “not attracted intrinsically to new taxes” but said the Government was “going to put our arms round people” to help. Mr Johnson told reporters: “There is more that we are going to do... you’ll just have to wait a little bit longer.”
No10 said it would not “put a particular timescale” on when the Government could announce a further package of measures to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis.
Downing Street slapped down Treasury Minister Simon Clarke, above, when he tried to rule out bringing back the £20 weekly Universal Credit uplift.
The Treasury axed the uplift in October as Covid support ended.
There have been calls from Tory MPs including former Welfare Secretary and party leader Iain Duncan Smith to boost UC, to help families during the cost of living crisis.
