Summary
Here is a round-up of the day’s main news stories:
Britons faced with an 80% increase in the energy price cap face tough times ahead, Boris Johnson said today. The outgoing prime minister said a “huge amount” of help for households had already been promised and his successor - either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak - would provide further support.
Boris Johnson has not ruled out setting his sights on a political comeback after he leaves Downing Street, as he sought to cement his legacy in the final week of his premiership. On the first of a flurry of visits to mark what he will paint as key achievements of his administration, Johnson faced questions about his future after No 10. He deflected and spoke of the rollout of gigabit broadband, also urging people to have “hope” that the worsening cost of living crisis will get better in 2023.
The Labour party chair, Anneliese Dodds, has said the “massive increase” in the cap on energy bills “will plunge many, many households into financial distress”. Asked about reports Liz Truss would support oil and gas drilling licences in the North Sea and if that was the answer, Dodds told Times Radio: “No, it’s not and the answer really is to be taking action to get the cost of those bills down.”
Andy Burnham criticised Keir Starmer’s policy of stopping Labour frontbenchers from joining picket lines, saying he would not “see this as controversial” during a crisis over the cost of living. The mayor of Greater Manchester was due to join Mick Lynch, the leader of the RMT rail union, at the launch of the Enough is Enough movement in Manchester on Tuesday. The new movement is calling for lower energy prices and increases to wages and benefits. Speaking to Sky News, Burnham again declined to rule out standing for the Labour leadership in the future, saying he would consider this “one day”.
The Liberal Democrats are rushing through plans to confirm a candidate for Michael Gove’s Surrey seat amid speculation that the former levelling up secretary is considering quitting parliament, sparking a byelection. Selection for the seat, held by Gove since 2005, closes on Thursday evening, and Lib Dem officials are planning for a possibly imminent campaign the party would fight on issues including the state of local hospitals and plans to drill for gas locally.
Liz Truss will sign off on a push for more oil drilling in the North Sea if she wins the Conservative leadership election, according to reports, drawing criticism from environmental campaigners. Amid mounting public dismay about soaring energy bills, Truss’s policy advisers are thought to be discussing proposals to issue up to 130 new drilling licences, which typically take nearly three decades to produce any oil or gas.
Truss has also been accused of “running scared” of scrutiny after pulling out of a BBC interview scheduled for Tuesday, meaning she is likely to become prime minister without undergoing a single set-piece broadcast quizzing. Earlier this month the foreign secretary agreed to a primetime interview with the veteran political journalist Nick Robinson on BBC One, something already done by Rishi Sunak, her rival to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative party leader. But a BBC spokesperson said Truss had now cancelled the interview. “Ms Truss’s team say she can no longer spare the time to appear on Our Next Prime Minister,” they said.
A funding package to help secure the long-term future of London’s transport network has been agreed with Transport for London, the government has said. The Department for Transport (DfT) said the settlement includes almost £1.2bn of upfront funding and matches the Mayor for London’s pre-pandemic spending plans, the Press Association reported.
Nadhim Zahawi will spend what are likely to be his final few days as chancellor in the US on a fact-finding trip to discuss measures to tackle soaring energy costs. Zahawi, who took over as chancellor eight weeks ago and is likely to be replaced if, as widely expected, Liz Truss is unveiled as the next Conservative leader, will also discuss the Ukraine war and cooperation on financial services.
The government’s commitment to gigabit broadband appears to have been scaled down despite Boris Johnson highlighting his record on the agenda. Johnson was visiting north Dorset, where work is kicking off on the first major contract under the government’s Project Gigabit, the £5bn programme to roll out more reliable broadband to hard-to-reach areas, the Press Association reported.
It came as a minister suffered connection problems during a radio interview to announce the government’s advances in providing gigabit-capable broadband. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport minister Matt Warman’s line failed shortly after he spoke about the “huge progress” in rolling out the technology across the UK.
Boris Johnson has condemned environmental protesters who he says are “wreaking havoc” on the nation’s roads. Downing Street said Just Stop Oil demonstrations were costing taxpayers millions of pounds and “putting lives in danger”. The home secretary, Priti Patel, has accused the “thugs and so-called eco-warriors” of “waging a war against the British people”, the Press Association reported.
A clean-up operation has begun in Edinburgh as waste and cleansing services resume after nearly two weeks of strike action by workers. The city’s waste workers began striking on 18 August in a dispute over pay, but returned to work on Tuesday in the Scottish capital where huge piles of rubbish have accumulated in many streets.
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, for today. Thanks for following along. Goodbye for now.
Updated
A funding package to help secure the long-term future of London’s transport network has been agreed with Transport for London, the government has said.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said the settlement included almost £1.2bn of upfront funding and matched the mayor of London’s pre-pandemic spending plans, the Press Association reported.
It added it would protect against potential lost revenue caused by uncertainty over post-pandemic demands for services, and also support several projects.
These include new Piccadilly line trains as well as modernisations and upgrades, including support for the repair of Hammersmith Bridge and extension of the Northern line.
Continued work on introducing driverless trains on the London Underground was part of the agreement, according to the DfT.
The department said the mayor, Sadiq Khan, had also committed to submit proposals to reform pensions by the end of September.
Updated
