Boris Johnson has rejected calls to introduce an emergency cost-of-living budget, reinstate regular Cobra meetings and recall parliament amid mouting pleas for urgent intervention.
Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson said such matters would instead be up to “a future prime minister to decide”, adding that the outgoing PM has “no plans” to sit down with leadership hopefuls Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to discuss emergency measures.
It comes after former prime minister Gordon Brown claimed there was a “vacuum” at the centre of government which has stopped it tackling the financial crisis bearing down on families.
The ex Labour leader told Good Morning Britain: “There’s got to be someone in charge. And it’s not just that they’re asleep at the wheel – there’s nobody at the wheel at the moment.”
And speaking on Sky News this morning, Mr Brown warned that children will be forced to attend school “ill-clad and undernourished” if the government does not act to support people before 1 September.
Johnson will ‘abide’ by Partygate inquiry process
No 10 refused to back Nadine Dorries’ calls for the privileges committee inquiry into claims he lied to parliament about Partygate to be scrapped.
Dorries has called on the four Tory MPs on the committee to withdraw from “this Machievellian process”, with allies of the PM reportedly calling the probe a “witch hunt” and a “kangaroo court”.
Asked if Johnson wanted to see the inquiry halted, his official spokesperson said No 10 wanted to “abide by the process”, adding: “We will assist the committee in their inquiries.”
‘Enough is enough’: Mick Lynch leads campaign to fight cost-of-living crisis – watch
No 10 won’t say if PM paid for summer holiday
Downing Street would not confirm whether Boris Johnson paid for his summer holiday out of his own pocket.
The caretaker PM and his wife reportedly enjoyed the “soothing energies” of a mountain villa in Slovenia last week.
Asked if Johnson paid for the trip himself, his official spokesperson said “no taxpayers’ money was used for this”, adding that it was a private matter.
Asked if this meant if Johnson had paid for it himself, the No 10 spokesperson said he was not aware of how the holiday was paid for.
But any declarations would be made in the appropriate way if Johnson has to register the trip as a gift.
PM accused of ‘shrugging his shoulders’ on cost of living
Labour accused Johnson of “shrugging his shoulders” in the face of the mounting cost of living crisis.
Rachel Reeves MP, shadow chancellor, said: “People are worried sick about how they’ll pay their bills and do their weekly food shop, and all this Tory prime minister does is shrug his shoulders.
She added: “An economic crisis like this requires strong leadership and urgent action – but instead we have a Tory party that’s lost control and are stuck with two continuity candidates who can only offer more of the same.”
Labour has also attacked the “zombie” Tory government, as Johnson arrived back at work on Monday from holiday.
The caretaker PM and his wife reportedly enjoyed the “soothing energies” of a mountain villa in Slovenia last week.
NHS crisis cannot wait for new PM, admits health secretary
The NHS in England cannot wait for a new prime minister to tackle “very serious challenges” it faces in the autumn and winter, the health secretary has said.
Steve Barclay said key decisions – including whether to hire more staff from overseas – had not be made before the outcome of the Conservative leadership contest.
The recently-appointed health secretary said a “real sprint” will be needed before winter to protect the NHS ahead of an expected influx of patients.
“We have very real challenges coming down the track in the autumn and winter, and as far as I’m concerned there needs to be a real sprint within Whitehall, and particularly in the Department of Health, to get ready for September,” Mr Barclay told The Telegraph.
Adam Forrest has more:
NHS crisis cannot wait for new PM, admits health secretary
Steve Barclay considering ‘significant’ increase in overseas recruitment to help ease staff shortages
Watch: Who are Don’t Pay UK and what do they do?
Boris Johnson won’t act on cost of living crisis as he rejects pleas for emergency budget
Boris Johnson has rejected pleas to intervene on the cost of living crisis, refusing calls for an emergency budget, regular Cobra meetings and the recall of parliament.
Gordon Brown has warned that children will be forced to attend school “ill-clad and undernourished” if the government does not act now to support people through the inflation crisis.
But No 10 dismissed the former Labour prime minister’s demand for Cobra crisis meetings on the economy – saying it was up to “a future prime minister to decide whether or what measures are required”.
Adam Forrest has more on this breaking story:
Boris Johnson rejects pleas for emergency budget over cost of living crisis
PM won’t call Cobra meetings or meet with Tory leadership rivals, says No 10
Tax cuts won’t ‘fully solve’ cost of living crisis, admits top Liz Truss ally
Tax cuts promised by Conservative leader favourite Liz Truss will not “fully solve” the cost of living crisis, a senior ally had admitted.
Rishi Sunak has seized on Truss’s rejection of cost of living “handouts” – arguing her tax cuts “won’t touch the sides” for families on low incomes, amid growing calls for an emergency budget.
Truss backer Brandon Lewis, the former Northern Ireland secretary, conceded that her promised tax cuts would not on their own “fully solve” the spiralling living costs.
Adam Forrest reports:
Tax cuts won’t ‘fully solve’ cost of living crisis, admits Liz Truss ally
Admission comes as Sunak says rival’s tax cuts won’t ‘won’t touch the sides’ for poorest families
Dominic Raab’s proposal to change judicial reviews dubbed ‘chilling’ by torture survivors’ charity
Leaked proposals which suggest the government is considering changes that could limit ministers’ accountability in judicial reviews have been branded “chilling” by a torture survivors’ charity.
Tracy Doig, head of international advocacy at Freedom From Torture, said: “The Justice Secretary’s proposed reforms are the latest in a series of attacks on the rights of the public to hold the powerful to account.
“Efforts to curb the power of judges have nothing to do with ‘lefty’ or ‘righty’ lawyers but with the very centrality of the rule of law, which judges represent.
“The independence of the judiciary from government influence is a cornerstone of democracy in this country, based on hundreds of years of legal precedence.
“(Dominic) Raab’s chilling vision of a Government above the law is a threat to the rights that protect every one of us.”
Voters want government to get inflation under control before cutting tax, poll reveals
Two thirds of Britons think the government should prioritise tackling the soaring rate of inflation before introducing tax cuts, a poll has found.
Casting an unfavourable shadow over the plans of frontrunner Liz Truss, a YouGov poll found that 64 per cent of voters thought the next prime minister should first battle the rising cost of living, while 17 per cent favoured tax cuts.
The poll for The Times appears to stand in stark contrast to the beliefs of Conservative Party members, who will elect the next British leader.
Voters want Tories to get inflation under control before cutting tax, poll reveals
Results cast unfavourable shadow over plans of leadership contest frontrunner Liz Truss
