Boris Johnson told to tackle rising energy bills to avoid ‘extreme suffering’ this winter

David King: ‘We need fiscal policies that help people in the lower-paid bracket.’ Photograph: Richard Young/Rex/Shutterstock

Boris Johnson should intervene urgently to start insulating British homes and introduce fiscal policies to reduce bills, as further delay will mean more people face “extreme suffering” this winter as energy bills soar, a former government chief scientific adviser has warned.

David King said: “This could be the worst possible time for the leadership of this country to be simply sitting back. We’re waiting until what? We have an energy crisis right now and we need good leadership. We need alert leadership, leadership that is thinking about this – and that is missing.”