Rishi Sunak today said it would be “silly” to give poor families any further help right now with rocketing energy bills.
The Chancellor brushed off desperate pleas for further cash to cope with with April’s £693-a-year rise.
He said he’d already put in £9bn of support - and might contemplate giving more, but only after another bills hike on October 1.
“It would be silly to do that now or last month or the month before, when we don’t know exactly what the situation in the autumn is going to be,” he told the website Mumsnet.
It comes after inflation hit its highest level for decades and a National Insurance hike took effect on April 6.
Critics say Mr Sunak’s package of up to £350 per household - £200 of which is only paid in October and has to be paid back - is not enough to cope with the soaring cost of living.
The Chancellor was told by a reader of the website Mumsnet: “Disabled people such as myself are particularly struggling. We have equipment that keeps us alive that we need to have plugged in constantly… it’s costing us more and more money just to stay alive.”
He said disabled people are all facing different “challenges” and can access grants for facilities. But he added: “In terms of things we can do to help - energy bills was mentioned. We’ve talked about the £9bn of support that’s already out there that we’ve put for energy.
“We’ve said we’ll see what happens with the price cap in the Autumn. Now I know people are anxious about this and wondering if they’re going to go up even more.
“I’ve always been clear from the beginning, we’ll see what happens, then depending what happens to bills then of course if we need to act and provide support for people we will.
“But it would be silly to do that now or last month or the month before, when we don’t know exactly what the situation in the autumn is going to be.
“So I’d say just, we’ll see where we are with that, if we need to do more.”
Labour has called for an emergency budget now to help people with the cost of living.
Tulip Siddiq, Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said: "How out of touch is this Chancellor?
"Families are already feeling the cost of living crisis, hit by record rises in energy prices, record high petrol prices and staggeringly steep hikes in the cost of food and essentials... It's time to act."
Keir Starmer today branded Boris Johnson the “Comical Ali of the cost of living crisis” - and said the “ostrich” PM has his “head in the sand”.
In their final PMQs clash before the local elections, Labour ’s leader blasted the Prime Minister for failing to tackle huge rise in bills facing Brits.
Yesterday Mr Johnson ordered ministers to come up with solutions to the crisis.
But the Cabinet meeting descended into a spat about whether the Tories should lower the tax burden, currently its highest in decades.
And ideas that were raised - from spacing out MOTs every two years, to cutting safety restrictions on how many kids childminders can look after - were panned as dangerous and unworkable.
Tonight Mr Sunak was cleared of breaching the ministerial code over his wife's tax affairs.
Ministerial interests adviser Lord Geidt also ruled in Mr Sunak's favour over allegations of conflicts of interest relating to the Chancellor having held a US permanent resident card.
Mr Sunak referred himself for investigation after it emerged his wife, Akshata Murty, held non-domiciled tax status - exempting her from paying UK tax on overseas earnings.
In advice to the Prime Minister, Lord Geidt wrote: "I advise that the requirements of the ministerial code have been adhered to by the Chancellor, and that he has been assiduous in meeting his obligations and in engaging with this investigation.
"In reaching these judgments, I am confined to the question of conflicts of interest and the requirements of the ministerial code. My role does not touch on any wider question of the merits of such interests or arrangements."
Mr Sunak told Mumsnet his favourite biscuit is a Maryland cookie.
