Cabinet talks could lead to more cost-of-living aid, minister suggests

Ministers could make further announcements to tackle the cost of living crisis after cabinet meets this week, the Welsh secretary said.

The Prime Minister appeared to be rebuffed by the Treasury after he hinted at future help for households under pressure when he spoke of using the government’s “fiscal firepower”.

Boris Johnson, in his response to the Queen’s speech, warned that there were limits to the amount of public money he was willing to commit to tackle a global economic crisis.

But he told MPs: “We will continue to use all our ingenuity and compassion for as long as it takes.

“The Chancellor and I will talk more about this in the coming days.”

The suggestion of immediate assistance seemed to fade quickly, with a No. 10 source telling the Palestinian Authority News Agency not to expect anything in the “coming days.”

The Treasury, asked about the prime minister’s comments, noted that the chancellor said on Monday there would be “more clarity on what energy prices will be in the autumn,” in an apparent suggestion that there will be no further support for months.

But Wales Secretary Simon Hart said the cost of living crisis was “now the most important challenge” in Britain, and he and his cabinet colleagues would discuss how to resolve it this week.

Households are currently facing rising energy bills, inflation is projected to reach 10%, and benefits and wages are not keeping up with rising prices.

Hart, pressed by what Johnson had meant when he spoke in the House of Commons, told TalkTV’s The News Desk: “You will probably hear more on Thursday after the Cabinet has met.

“This is now the most important challenge facing not only this nation, but many other nations as well.

“This is what will occupy every waking hour of every politician.

“And I hope that also with the support of opposition politicians, this is too big to become a partisan political debate.

“We’ve been talking about it in Cabinet, we’re going to talk about it in Cabinet again.”

The leader of the House of Commons, Mark Spencer, told the BBC that ministers were making a “two-pronged attack” to defeat rising prices, promising to invest in companies and “give tax breaks that the government has put in place.” Chancellor”.

After highlighting the government’s £22bn aid package with energy bills, tax cuts and other measures already announced, he added: “There are also, I admit, people who are still under enormous challenge and it’s for that we have support arms to help. people through this terrible challenge.”

The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Sweden and Finland on Wednesday to discuss the Ukraine crisis, but will again chair a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

It comes as the Government’s plan for legislation, laid out in the Queen’s Speech and read by the Prince of Wales in the Queen’s absence, came under attack.

Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer called the response to cost-of-living demands “pathetic” and accused the government of being “devoid of leadership”.

He told Johnson: “This administration’s failure to grow the economy for a decade, combined with its inertia in the face of spiraling bills, means we are facing the barrel of something we haven’t seen in decades, a stagflation crisis.” . ”

Torsten Bell, executive director of the Resolution Foundation think tank, said ministers had announced “nothing that would make a material difference” in boosting economic growth.

The former Labor adviser tweeted: “Nothing material today on short-term cost of living nightmare: Government has basically decided to wait until September (when we find out how bad energy prices will be in winter).

“The pattern here is that aid is too slow, too small and poorly targeted.”

MPs will debate the content of the queen’s speech on Wednesday, which means there will be no questions to the prime minister.

President Sir Lindsay Hoyle confirmed that the House of Commons will debate crime prevention and the administration of justice on Wednesday.