Credit:PA
Almost nine in 10 UK adults (88 per cent) are worried about the rise in energy prices after the announcement of Ofgem’s latest price cap, a survey suggests.
Nearly half (45 per cent) say they will not be able to cope financially when the price cap increases to £3,549 from October 1, the poll by Opinium found.
To mitigate rising costs, almost two in five (37 per cent) have already cut back spending on food and groceries – up from 28 per cent since March.
it comes as chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has said “no-one should be cut off” because they cannot afford their energy bills.
The Cabinet minister also pledged that the next Conservative government, due to take over from Boris Johnson’s administration after his resignation next Tuesday, will “go beyond” the support already committed and that options for future decisions are being worked on.
His remarks come as the Resolution Foundation has warned the next prime minister’s time in office looks set to be dominated by the “terrifying” prospect of the biggest squeeze in living standards for a century.
Mr Zahawi, speaking to Sky News while on a visit to the US, was asked if he can guarantee that no-one will find themselves in a position where they are cut off because they cannot afford to pay their bills.
Zahawi’s comments have been slammed by Jonathan Reynolds.
Rather than paying lip service in France, the government has insisted that electricity prices can’t go up by more than 4 per cent.
As GMB presenter Richard Gaisford says: “that’s a very different picture to the scenes we’re seeing just a few dozen miles away across the channel.”
However, maybe we spoke too soon as Boris johnson has some advice.
He has told people to buy a new kettle and that purchase will save you a tenner a year on your electricity bill.
We wish this was satire.
Related: As Truss says trust the markets this letter to Guardian explains why that is a bad idea
