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    Changes announced by Boris Johnson mean ministers no longer expected to resign for misbehaviour

    Government ministers will no longer be expected automatically to resign or be sacked if they breach their code of conduct, under changes announced by Boris Johnson.An update to the code published today states that it is “disproporationate” to expect heads to roll for every breach of the code no matter how minor, and says ministers could instead be punished by “some form of public apology, remedial action or removal of ministerial salary for a period”.And a foreword to the code, penned by the prime minister, removed previous references to the principles of “integrity, objectivity, accountability, transparency, honesty and leadership” which should guide ministers’ conduct.Instead, the PM said ministers’ duty was to be “innovating, challenging assumptions and striving always to mobilise the power of the state for the benefit of the public”.A review of the terms of reference of Mr Johnson’s independent ethical adviser gives Christopher Geidt new powers to initiate an investigation, and to make it public if an intended inquiry is blocked by the PM.The review was demanded by Lord Geidt in the wake of the row of the refurbishment of Mr Johnson’s flat at 11 Downing Street. The decision to release the long-delayed outcome on a Friday afternoon during parliamentary recess was viewed by many at Westminster as a bid to avoid scrutiny.It comes ahead of an inquiry by the House of Commons privileges committee into whether Mr Johnson lied to parliament over parties at 10 Downing Street, raising the prospect that a guilty verdict from the cross-party panel would no longer be seen as a resigning matter under the new code.Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner accused Mr Johnson of “downgrading and debasing the principles of public life before our very eyes”.“In a week when Boris Johnson’s lies to parliament about industrial rule-breaking at the heart of government were finally exposed, he should be tendering his resignation but is instead watering down the rules to save his own skin,” said Ms Rayner.“Once again, Boris Johnson has demonstrated he is not serious about his pledge to address the scandal and sleaze engulfing his government or the frequent and flagrant breaches of standards and rule-breaking that have taken place on his watch.”And Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “This is an appalling attempt by Boris Johnson to rig the rules to get himself off the hook.”It seems the Conservatives have learnt nothing from the Owen Paterson scandal.”The prime minister shouldn’t be allowed to decide on his own punishment – with zero accountability. This is making him judge and jury in his own case.”If the privileges committee finds Boris Johnson lied to parliament, surely Conservative MPs will have no choice but to sack him.”Since its introduction by John Major in 1992 and its formalisation by Tony Blair in 1997, it has always been a principle of the code of conduct that ministers found to have transgressed will be expected to resign or be dismissed.Until this year, the ethical adviser could only launch an investigation if ordered to by the prime minister, but following the “Wallpapergate” controversy over the Downing Street flat, Lord Geidt won the right to propose an inquiry.The new changes go further, allowing him to initiate an investigation of an alleged breach of the code. But the adviser is still required to consult the PM, who the code states “will normally give his consent”.It adds: “Where there are public interest reasons for doing so, the prime minister may raise concerns about a proposed investigation such that the independent adviser does not proceed. “In such an event, the independent adviser may still require that the reasons for an investigation not proceeding be made public unless this would undermine the grounds that have led to the investigation not proceeding. “ More

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    Boris Johnson – live: PM rips up rules on ministers resigning over misbehaviour

    Rishi Sunak Says He Will Give His £400 Energy Rebate To CharityMinisters who are found to have breached the Ministerial Code will no longer be automatically expected to resign or face the sack, according to a new government policy statement.The statement said it would be “disproportionate” to expect a minister to lose their job for “minor” breaches of the code.The prime minister could instead order “some form of public apology, remedial action or removal of ministerial salary for a period”.The statement added: “Reflecting the prime minister’s accountability for the conduct of the executive, it is important that a role is retained for the prime minister in decisions about investigations.”Earlier, Tory MP Paul Holmes resigned as an aide to home secretary Priti Patel, saying the Sue Gray report into Partygate has exposed a “deep mistrust” in government.It is the first resignation since the publication of the civil servant’s final report into Covid rule-breaking parties in Downing Street.The Eastleigh MP said a “toxic culture [seems] to have permeated Number 10”.Show latest update

    1653662735‘Extremely urgent’: British MPs push government to help human rights activist jailed in EgyptBritish MPs have demanded Boris Johnson’s government exert “maximum pressure” on Egypt to secure a consular visit for UK citizen Alaa Abdel-Fattah, who is nearly two months into a jail hunger strike, warning his situation is “dire and urgent”.The fresh calls for help come after more than 30 MPs and peers wrote to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss last week urging her to push for his immediate release, claiming his treatment sets a “dangerous precedent” and and doing nothing could impact on the rights of all Britons abroad.Our international correspondent Bel Trew reports:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 15:451653661835Ministers no longer expected to resign if they break CodeMinisters who are found to have breached the Ministerial Code will no longer automatically be expected to resign or face the sack, according a new Government policy statement.The statement said it would be “disproportionate” to expect a minister to lose their job for “minor” breaches of the code.It said the Prime Minister could instead order “some form of public apology, remedial action or removal of ministerial salary for a period”.It said revised terms of reference for the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on the code, Lord Geidt, include an “enhanced process” to allow him to initiate investigations with the Prime Minister’s consent, although the final decision rests with the Prime Minister.“Reflecting the Prime Minister’s accountability for the conduct of the executive, it is important that a role is retained for the Prime Minister in decisions about investigations,” the statement said.The statement comes as Boris Johnson is facing an investigation by the Commons Privileges Committee into whether he misled Parliament over lockdown parties in Whitehall.Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 15:301653661097Breaking: Changes announced by Boris Johnson mean ministers no longer expected to resign for misbehaviourGovernment ministers will no longer be expected automatically to resign or be sacked if they breach their code of conduct, under changes announced by Boris Johnson.Andrew Woodcock, our political editor, reports:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 15:181653660995Opinion: The impact of Rishi Sunak’s ‘mini Budget’ has been ruined by Partygate“Rishi Sunak’s “not an emergency Budget” was more significant than expected, both economically and politically. Ignore the claims the timing had nothing to do with Partygate; of course it did. At various points, I was told the cost-of-living package would come in August, then July, then June.“Boris Johnson had every reason to change the music on the day after Sue Gray’s final report. Ofgem, the energy regulator, provided some cover by predicting the hike in domestic bills in October, but Johnson would surely have insisted on a diversion even without it,” writes Andrew Grice. Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 15:161653660188‘Rough justice’: Sunak hands wealthy pensioners £850 while poor families lose out, analysis showsRishi Sunak’s energy bills support will hand wealthy pensioners £850 that they may not need while low-income families miss out, new analysis has shown.The think tank said that the biggest winners are wealthy pensioners while larger families will see their bills rises most steeply but still receive the same flat-rate paynment.My colleague Ben Chapman has more:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 15:031653659408Tiverton and Honiton by-election: Tory candidate ‘told not to speak to media because of fear of partygate questions’The Conservative candidate for the upcoming Tiverton and Honiton by-election has been ordered not to speak to the media by senior party officials because they fear she will be asked about partygate, insiders say.Parish councillor Helen Hurford has been selected to fight the seat after former Tory MP Neil Parish resigned following revelations that he had twice watched pornography in parliament.But the former headteacher is said to have been told not to speak to press – because CCHQ think she will struggle to deal with questions about Boris Johnson’s lockdown lawbreaking.Colin Drury has more details:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 14:501653658508Carers ‘facing £200 cut to income’ after being left out from Rishi Sunak’s cost-of-living packageWith the carer’s allowance increasing by just 3.1 per cent from £67.60 a week to £69.70, rocketing inflation means claimants are taking a combined hit of £193m this year, after inflation of 9 per cent is taken into account, the party said.Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 14:351653657635Boris Johnson has said his situation is “different” to Rishi Sunak after the chancellor confirmed he would be donating his £400 energy bill rebate to charity.As part of the emergency cost-of-living package, the chancellor announced each household will get the £400 energy discount that will be partly funded by a £5 billion windfall tax on oil and gas giants.Mr Sunak, who last week appeared on The Sunday Times Rich List with his wife Akshata Murty for the first time with their joint £730 million fortune, was questioned about what would happen to his £400 grant.He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I’m sure you will join me in giving that money to charity.”But when questioned if he would be following suit and donating his grant money, the Prime Minister said it works differently for him.He told reporters during a visit to Stockton-on-Tees: “I think my arrangements are different because I live in a Government flat.“But I think it’s important that people should recognise these payments will not necessarily cover the increased costs fully.“We can’t cover every single cost that people are going to pay, we’ve got to be realistic about that.“However, they will go a long way towards helping people.”Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 14:201653656708Martin Lewis hits back at claims he’s ‘sold out’ over Rishi Sunak cost of living planMartin Lewis has said he just tries to “call it straight” as he hit back at critics who accused him of being a “sell out” after praising Rishi Sunak‘s package of measures to help with the cost of living crisis.The Money Saving Expert has in recent months been highly critical of the chancellor and the government more broadly for not doing enough to help people with rising fuel, food and energy bills.But Mr Lewis said on Thursday that he welcomed the series of measures announced by the chancellor in parliament earlier in the day, which included a £400 cut to energy bills for every household in the UK, Matt Mathers writes. Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 14:051653655821All the cost of living help available and how to get it including £400 energy bill discountThe British chancellor announced a host of new measures this week following criticism the government wasn’t doing enough. My colleague Zoe Tidman has a list of all that is available at the moment to help easy the financial burden:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 13:50 More

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    Sue Gray report: Tory MP resigns as Priti Patel aide over ‘deep mistrust’ in government

    Tory MP Paul Holmes has resigned as an aide to Home Secretary Priti Patel, saying the Sue Gray report into Partygate has exposed a “deep mistrust” in government.Mr Holmes’ departure is the third government resignation over the Partygate affair and the first since the publication of the civil servant’s final report into Covid rule-breaking parties in Downing Street.The Eastleigh MP said it was clear a “toxic culture [seems] to have permeated Number 10.” But he did not call for Boris Johnson’s removal as prime minister or indicate that he would send a letter of no confidence in his leadership to the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady.In a statement on his website, Mr Holmes said the fallout from the Partygate scandal has been “distressing.”“It is clear to me that a deep mistrust in both the government and the Conservative Party has been created by these events, something that pains me personally as someone who always tries to represent Eastleigh and its people with integrity,” he wrote.He said that work done by MPs on behalf of their constituencies had been “tarnished by the toxic culture that seemed to have permeated Number 10”.Mr Holmes’ resignation as parliamentary private secretary (PPS) in the Home Office adds to the pressure on Mr Johnson, after a predicted wave of no-confidence letters failed to materialise in the immediate wake of the Gray report’s publication.Just four Tory MPs – Julian Sturdy, David Simmonds, John Baron and Stephen Hammond – have declared that they no longer support the PM following the report’s finding of a “failure of leadership” at No 10, while a fifth, Angela Richardson, said that she would have resigned if she was the subject of similar criticism.Ms Richardson quit as a PPS in January following Ms Gray’s interim report, while Lord Wolfson resigned as a justice minister in April after Mr Johnson received a £50 police fine for attending a lockdown-busting birthday party in 10 Downing Street in 2020.Mr Holmes entered parliament in 2019 with a comfortable majority in the Hampshire seat of Eastleigh, which had been Liberal Democrat until the 2015 election. More

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    ‘Crocodile’ Putin making ‘palpable progress’ in eastern Ukraine, warns Boris Johnson

    Boris Johnson has struck a gloomy note on the war in Ukraine, warning that Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is making “palpable progress” in his bid to seize the eastern Donbas region.The prime minister said Western states should not be “lulled” by the early Ukrainian successes around capital Kyiv into thinking that the threat from Russia had been overcome.He said it was “absolutely vital” for countries like the UK to keep supporting president Volodymyr Zelensky’s regime with military supplies.Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Mr Johnson said: “I think it’s very, very important that we do not get lulled, because of the incredible heroism of the Ukrainians in pushing the Russians back from the gates of Kyiv.“I’m afraid that Putin – at great cost to himself and to the Russian military – is continuing to chew through ground in Donbas. He’s continuing to make gradual, slow, but I’m afraid palpable progress.“Therefore, it is absolutely vital that we continue to support the Ukrainians militarily.”Mr Johnson told Bloomberg the West should send Ukraine more offensive weapons such as Multiple Launch Rocket Systems that can strike targets from much further away.He played down the prospect of meaningful peace talks with Putin: “How can you deal with a crocodile when it’s in the middle of eating your left leg? The guy’s completely not to be trusted.” More

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    Tiverton and Honiton by-election: Tory candidate ‘told not to speak to media because of fear of partygate questions’

    The Conservative candidate for the upcoming Tiverton and Honiton by-election has been ordered not to speak to the media by senior party officials because they fear she will be asked about partygate, insiders say.Parish councillor Helen Hurford has been selected to fight the seat after former Tory MP Neil Parish resigned following revelations that he had twice watched pornography in parliament.But the former headteacher is said to have been told not to speak to press – because CCHQ think she will struggle to deal with questions about Boris Johnson’s lockdown lawbreaking.One local Tory says that anger about Downing Street shindogs is now so widespread in the rural Devon constituency that it has been decided Ms Hurford’s best chance of victory is to remain largely silent and hope the party’s current 24,000 majority carries her to victory.Strategists are said to have spent time workshopping a response to difficult questions but even the favoured option – to suggest the prime minister got things wrong but it is time to move on – is considered likely to antagonise voters in an area where integrity is expected to come as standard.The result is that Ms Hurford has been all but invisible since being selected as the Tories’ candidate on Monday. Requests to speak to her by The Independent went firstly unanswered and were then declined with no reason given.The order for silence is said to have even been extended to local Conservative councillors who have been informally told not to discuss the by-election with media.Asked in a WhatsApp message if such an instruction had been given, one councillor Colin Slade replied: “I couldn’t possibly comment!”Another, who asked not to be named, added that members had been told they should “button up”.Responding to the revelations, a source with the Lib Dems, who are considered the main challengers here, said: “It’s sad that Tory bosses have now effectively gagged their candidate. How can voters trust her to speak up for them if she isn’t even allowed to speak?”It all comes after Sir Roger Gale, the MP for North Thanet, said Ms Hurford had been chosen as a “electoral sacrifice” amid growing fears the Tories could lose the contest.“I asked in the tea room this morning if we had actually selected an electoral sacrifice to fight…and I’m told that we have,” he told BBC News on Wednesday.Yet how well the tactic of eschewing scrutiny will work is yet to be seen.A similar playbook was used in the Hartlepool, Batley and Spen and North Shropshire by-elections last year when Conservative candidates were labelled invisible for their lack of media engagement.While it worked in Hartlepool, it proved a disaster in Batley and Spen and North Shropshire where the Tories lost despite being favourites.The Conservatives have been approached for comment. More

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    Carers ‘facing £200 cut to income’ after being left out from Rishi Sunak’s cost-of-living package

    Britain’s 1m unpaid carers are facing a real-terms cut to their income of more than £200 after being excluded from Rishi Sunak’s cost-of-living package, Liberal Democrats have warned.With the carer’s allowance increasing by just 3.1 per cent from £67.60 a week to £69.70, rocketing inflation means claimants are taking a combined hit of £193m this year, after inflation of 9 per cent is taken into account, the party said.There was dismay on Thursday when it emerged that a one-off payment of £650 to help benefit claimants with living costs was going to recipients of universal credit, tax credits and income support but not those getting the carer’s allowance.The Carers’ Trust charity said that the group had been “forgotten” by the government, despite having long faced a cost-of-living crisis because of the need to give up paid work to care for relatives or friends.But the Treasury said that significant numbers of carers would be receiving the £650 payment as claimants of means-tested benefits. And they said those who live with disabled or elderly relatives will also benefit from the one-off payments of £300 to pensioner households and £150 for those including someone with a disability.Leader Sir Ed Davey accused Mr Sunak of treating people who care for loved ones at home with “utter disdain”.He called on the chancellor to increase the allowance by £1,000 a year, bringing the weekly payment to almost £89.New analysis by the Lib Dems found that the true annual value of carer’s allowance is being cut by £207 this year, once soaring inflation is taking into account – a combined total of £193m.Cost of living: how to get helpThe cost of living crisis has touched every corner of the UK, pushing families to the brink with rising food and fuel prices. The Independent has asked experts to explain small ways you can stretch your money, including managing debt and obtaining items for free. – If you need to access a food bank, find your local council’s website and then use the local authority’s site to locate your nearest centre. – The Trussell Trust, which runs many foodbanks, has a similar tool. – Citizens Advice provides free help to people in need. The organisation can help you find grants or benefits, or advise on rent, debt and budgeting. – If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.“Rishi Sunak is treating family carers with utter disdain by refusing to offer them extra support,” said Sir Ed.“Family carers are facing huge pressures right now as petrol prices, energy bills and food prices all go through the roof. They are playing a vital role caring for loved ones, but their only reward from this Conservative government is to see the carer’s allowance slashed by over £200 this year.“It is typical of the Conservatives who time and again have ignored the plight of family carers and treated them like dirt. The chancellor needs to make one more U-turn and give unpaid carers the extra support they deserve.“Unlike this out-of-touch government, the Liberal Democrats will stand for carers with our calls to increase the carer’s allowance by £1,000 a year.”Carers Trust chief executive officer Kirsty McHugh said she was “extremely disappointed to learn that unpaid carers have been shut out of additional support yet again”.She said: “Unpaid carers on carer’s allowance, who were already experiencing acute financial hardship, have been forgotten yet again by the government, with only those on means-tested benefits like universal credit qualifying for the additional £650 payment. “The UK government needs to urgently follow the example of the governments in Wales and Scotland. They have targeted unpaid carers who receive carer’s allowance there with extra financial support to recognise how their vital caring roles have all too often pushed them into financial hardship.”  More

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    Cost of living – live: Tory fears party ‘dictated to by Labour’ over windfall tax U-turn

    Rishi Sunak Says He Will Give His £400 Energy Rebate To CharityMinisters who are found to have breached the Ministerial Code will no longer be automatically expected to resign or face the sack, according to a new government policy statement.The statement said it would be “disproportionate” to expect a minister to lose their job for “minor” breaches of the code.The prime minister could instead order “some form of public apology, remedial action or removal of ministerial salary for a period”.The statement added: “Reflecting the prime minister’s accountability for the conduct of the executive, it is important that a role is retained for the prime minister in decisions about investigations.”Earlier, Tory MP Paul Holmes resigned as an aide to home secretary Priti Patel, saying the Sue Gray report into Partygate has exposed a “deep mistrust” in government.It is the first resignation since the publication of the civil servant’s final report into Covid rule-breaking parties in Downing Street.The Eastleigh MP said a “toxic culture [seems] to have permeated Number 10”.Show latest update

    1653662735‘Extremely urgent’: British MPs push government to help human rights activist jailed in EgyptBritish MPs have demanded Boris Johnson’s government exert “maximum pressure” on Egypt to secure a consular visit for UK citizen Alaa Abdel-Fattah, who is nearly two months into a jail hunger strike, warning his situation is “dire and urgent”.The fresh calls for help come after more than 30 MPs and peers wrote to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss last week urging her to push for his immediate release, claiming his treatment sets a “dangerous precedent” and and doing nothing could impact on the rights of all Britons abroad.Our international correspondent Bel Trew reports:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 15:451653661835Ministers no longer expected to resign if they break CodeMinisters who are found to have breached the Ministerial Code will no longer automatically be expected to resign or face the sack, according a new Government policy statement.The statement said it would be “disproportionate” to expect a minister to lose their job for “minor” breaches of the code.It said the Prime Minister could instead order “some form of public apology, remedial action or removal of ministerial salary for a period”.It said revised terms of reference for the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on the code, Lord Geidt, include an “enhanced process” to allow him to initiate investigations with the Prime Minister’s consent, although the final decision rests with the Prime Minister.“Reflecting the Prime Minister’s accountability for the conduct of the executive, it is important that a role is retained for the Prime Minister in decisions about investigations,” the statement said.The statement comes as Boris Johnson is facing an investigation by the Commons Privileges Committee into whether he misled Parliament over lockdown parties in Whitehall.Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 15:301653661097Breaking: Changes announced by Boris Johnson mean ministers no longer expected to resign for misbehaviourGovernment ministers will no longer be expected automatically to resign or be sacked if they breach their code of conduct, under changes announced by Boris Johnson.Andrew Woodcock, our political editor, reports:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 15:181653660995Opinion: The impact of Rishi Sunak’s ‘mini Budget’ has been ruined by Partygate“Rishi Sunak’s “not an emergency Budget” was more significant than expected, both economically and politically. Ignore the claims the timing had nothing to do with Partygate; of course it did. At various points, I was told the cost-of-living package would come in August, then July, then June.“Boris Johnson had every reason to change the music on the day after Sue Gray’s final report. Ofgem, the energy regulator, provided some cover by predicting the hike in domestic bills in October, but Johnson would surely have insisted on a diversion even without it,” writes Andrew Grice. Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 15:161653660188‘Rough justice’: Sunak hands wealthy pensioners £850 while poor families lose out, analysis showsRishi Sunak’s energy bills support will hand wealthy pensioners £850 that they may not need while low-income families miss out, new analysis has shown.The think tank said that the biggest winners are wealthy pensioners while larger families will see their bills rises most steeply but still receive the same flat-rate paynment.My colleague Ben Chapman has more:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 15:031653659408Tiverton and Honiton by-election: Tory candidate ‘told not to speak to media because of fear of partygate questions’The Conservative candidate for the upcoming Tiverton and Honiton by-election has been ordered not to speak to the media by senior party officials because they fear she will be asked about partygate, insiders say.Parish councillor Helen Hurford has been selected to fight the seat after former Tory MP Neil Parish resigned following revelations that he had twice watched pornography in parliament.But the former headteacher is said to have been told not to speak to press – because CCHQ think she will struggle to deal with questions about Boris Johnson’s lockdown lawbreaking.Colin Drury has more details:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 14:501653658508Carers ‘facing £200 cut to income’ after being left out from Rishi Sunak’s cost-of-living packageWith the carer’s allowance increasing by just 3.1 per cent from £67.60 a week to £69.70, rocketing inflation means claimants are taking a combined hit of £193m this year, after inflation of 9 per cent is taken into account, the party said.Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 14:351653657635Boris Johnson has said his situation is “different” to Rishi Sunak after the chancellor confirmed he would be donating his £400 energy bill rebate to charity.As part of the emergency cost-of-living package, the chancellor announced each household will get the £400 energy discount that will be partly funded by a £5 billion windfall tax on oil and gas giants.Mr Sunak, who last week appeared on The Sunday Times Rich List with his wife Akshata Murty for the first time with their joint £730 million fortune, was questioned about what would happen to his £400 grant.He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I’m sure you will join me in giving that money to charity.”But when questioned if he would be following suit and donating his grant money, the Prime Minister said it works differently for him.He told reporters during a visit to Stockton-on-Tees: “I think my arrangements are different because I live in a Government flat.“But I think it’s important that people should recognise these payments will not necessarily cover the increased costs fully.“We can’t cover every single cost that people are going to pay, we’ve got to be realistic about that.“However, they will go a long way towards helping people.”Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 14:201653656708Martin Lewis hits back at claims he’s ‘sold out’ over Rishi Sunak cost of living planMartin Lewis has said he just tries to “call it straight” as he hit back at critics who accused him of being a “sell out” after praising Rishi Sunak‘s package of measures to help with the cost of living crisis.The Money Saving Expert has in recent months been highly critical of the chancellor and the government more broadly for not doing enough to help people with rising fuel, food and energy bills.But Mr Lewis said on Thursday that he welcomed the series of measures announced by the chancellor in parliament earlier in the day, which included a £400 cut to energy bills for every household in the UK, Matt Mathers writes. Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 14:051653655821All the cost of living help available and how to get it including £400 energy bill discountThe British chancellor announced a host of new measures this week following criticism the government wasn’t doing enough. My colleague Zoe Tidman has a list of all that is available at the moment to help easy the financial burden:Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 May 2022 13:50 More

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    Rishi Sunak insists £15bn cost-of-living package will have ‘minimal’ impact on inflation

    Rishi Sunak has insisted his £15bn cost-of-living support package will have only a “minimal” impact on inflation, raising prices by less than 1 per cent.The chancellor denied backbench Tory complaints that his measures – which also included a £5bn windfall tax on energy companies – were un-Conservative.Leading economic thinktank the Institute for Fiscal Studies today said that the package set out on Thursday was “something that Gordon Brown could be proud of”. More