Liz Truss has said she will set out “immediate action” to tackle the rising cost of energy bills during her first week in office, if she becomes Prime Minister this week.
The Foreign Secretary is widely tipped to defeat rival Rishi Sunak when the Tory leadership winner is announced on Monday. And now she has vowed to help tackle the energy cost crisis by making "difficult decisions" straight away.
There have been ever-louder calls in recent weeks for the Governmen t to intervene to support the most vulnerable, as it emerged that energy bills are set to rise to around £3,500 this winter for the average household.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Ms Truss said she would appoint a council of economic advisers to help guide her and her chancellor.
She said: “I understand how challenging the cost of living crisis is for everyone. These are tough times and the months ahead will be hard.
She said that she will take “immediate action” to tackle the cost of living crisis for families and businesses, while also delivering a “broader plan to get our economy growing, make it more resilient and make it more competitive".
“If elected, I plan within the first week of my new administration to set out our immediate action on energy bills and energy supply. A fiscal event would follow later this month from my chancellor, with a broader package of action on the economy.
“We need to take the difficult decisions to ensure we are not in this position every autumn and winter. Sticking plasters and kicking the can down the road will not do. I am ready to take the tough decisions to rebuild our economy.”
The energy crisis, according to the Sunday Times, will also be the focus of Ms Truss’ address from Downing Street if she is appointed. The paper reports it is expected to be “very short”, but that an announcement on energy will come quickly if Ms Truss takes charge, with a “fiscal event” set to follow in the coming weeks.
Throughout the campaign she has pledged to “start cutting taxes from day one” with a new Budget and Spending Review that would reverse April’s rise in national insurance and next year’s corporation tax increase from 19% to 25%.
In the Telegraph, Ms Truss said: “I recognise that many of the growth measures we take won’t have an immediate impact, but it is vital we get started now and build a better economy for the future and pay down our debt as a country and provide the future for our children. There will be tough decisions to be made, and I am prepared to make those tough decisions as prime minister.”
Recent days have been full of speculation about who could make up the Cabinet in a Truss administration, with Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng tipped to become her Chancellor. There is also a growing expectation that the next Prime Minister will make an early visit to Kyiv to shore up support for Ukraine.
It comes as Boris Johnson prepares to leave office following praise from Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader, writing in the Mail on Sunday, called the outgoing Prime Minister a “true friend” as he paid tribute to his steadfast support for the war-torn country.
Mr Johnson used his own article in the Sunday Express to reflect on his achievements, while also urging his party to come together after a summer of in-fighting.
“This is the moment for every Conservative to come together – and back that new leader wholeheartedly. This is the time to put aside the disagreements of the last few weeks, fascinating though they may have been, and put the national interest first.
“As I leave Number Ten after three tough but often exhilarating years I know just how big and demanding this job is. I also know that either candidate is more than capable of delivering for the people of this country,” he wrote.
In what is set to be a frenzied few days for UK politics, Mr Johnson’s successor will be announced on Monday, taking over as Prime Minister the following day. Mr Johnson and his successor will go to Balmoral, rather than Buckingham Palace, for the appointment of the new Prime Minister on Tuesday, in a break from tradition.
The Queen will receive Mr Johnson on Tuesday at her Aberdeenshire home, where he will formally tender his resignation. This will be followed by an audience with the new Tory leader, where she or he will be invited to form a government.
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