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Spiral energy bills have forced retirees and some of the most vulnerable to effectively “hibernate” and reduce their daily lives, ITV News Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana said
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told ITV that his government could do more to help struggling families overcome the cost-of-living crisis, and the support they currently have will not be enough to help everyone. .
He said “Good morning, UK” that the support of around £ 350 to help people cope with rising prices “will not be enough immediately to cover everyone’s costs”.
Asked by host Susanna Reed if the government was doing enough to help people get through this difficult time, Mr Johnson said: “There is more we can do.
“But the most important thing is to make sure we are dealing with prices in the medium and long term.”
More than £ 800 has been added to the cost of living of the average household since then last year due to rising taxes and rising energy prices – exacerbated by staggering inflation – and there are desperate stories of people struggling to make ends meet in the UK.
The prime minister responded to the case of pensioner Elsie
The prime minister was told about the 77-year-old pensioner Elsie, who now manages only one meal a day to manage her finances and uses her free bus ticket to ride the bus all day instead of using energy as she is. at home – but his answer raised eyebrows.
“Just to remind you that the 24-hour free bus pass was something I introduced,” he said in a comment that immediately sparked anger on social media.
“Great, so Elsie should be grateful for her bus ticket!” Susanna said, while angry Twitter commentators said the remark was “disgusting” and a demonstration of how “unrelated” the prime minister is to the realities of people who are fighting.
Another said his response was “mind-boggling”, while countless tweets said the comment demonstrated Mr Johnson’s lack of empathy for ordinary people.
Labor said his response showed “how much this narcissistic prime minister is not touched”.
Shadow and Pensions Secretary John Ashworth said it was “extremely embarrassing” that people like Elsie were forced to cut costs in this way, adding: “It will be a year of hell for British retirees.”
Is the government doing enough to help people like Elsie? Anushka Astana looks
Why is the Prime Minister not doing more to help those who are fighting? Will there be an unforeseen tax?
Asked why benefits are not rising in line with inflation, the prime minister said: “It could get worse. This affects interest rates and it affects the cost of the loan for all.
“And I’m sorry to say that, but we have to be careful in our approach. We need to help people like Elsie and the families you mentioned, in the short term, with huge amounts of taxpayers’ money, through local councils or through the schemes we do. “
The prime minister also rejected calls from Labor and the Liberal Democrats to impose an unforeseen tax on the huge profits of oil and gas companies.
“If you impose an unforeseen tax on energy companies, it means that you are discouraging them from making the investments we want to see that will ultimately keep energy prices lower for everyone.”
And he resisted pressure to borrow to boost support, saying the government was “intervening and raising inflation … it will hit everyone.”
“And that will mean that people’s interest rates on their mortgages are rising, the cost of the loan is rising, and we are facing an even worse problem.”
What is BP’s response to a proposed contingency tax? ITV News Business and Economics Editor Joel Hills explains
The Prime Minister acknowledges that the United Kingdom could act faster to help Ukrainian refugees
The crisis in the cost of living has been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has raised fuel and food prices and sparked a new refugee crisis in Europe.
Mr Johnson acknowledged that the United Kingdom could do more to help those fleeing Ukraine at the start of the war, but said “large numbers” were now reaching Britain.
“So far, 86,000 visas have been issued and 27,000 are already here, and I want to say, thank you – 27,000 are many and growing rapidly, and I want to pay tribute to all those who help take care of Ukrainians,” he said.
“Could we do it faster? Yes, maybe we could.”
Asked why the UK does not offer visa-free travel to Ukrainians, Mr Johnson said that in wartime some people may “pretend” to be refugees.
When told that only a small proportion of those who applied for visas had arrived in the United Kingdom, Mr Johnson replied: “Quite a large proportion”.
Prime Minister Johnson insisted he was “honest” in response to criticism from Partygate
Mr Johnson opposed calls for his resignation over the partygate scandal and insisted he was being honest, although many believe he lied about illegal anti-blocking events on Downing Street during the pandemic.
For weeks, he has been facing constant calls to resign from his own reserves after police handed him a fixed notice of punishment for attending his birthday party at №10.
And he will soon be the subject of a parliamentary inquiry to see if he misled MPs when he told municipalities that Downing Street had not been violated.
Asked if he was honest, the prime minister replied: “Yes. I think the best way to judge this is to look at what this government says it will do and what it is doing.”
He added: “I do my best to present true and accurately what I believe, and sometimes it’s contradictory, and sometimes it offends people, but that’s what I do.”
Responding to speculation that some people thought he was a liar, Mr Johnson said: “If you are talking about the statements I made in the House of Commons, I was inadvertently … I was wrong and I apologize for that.”
He later said, “I apologized for the mistakes we made during the pandemic,” when asked about breaking the law.
Asked why he should not resign, as Matt Hancock did as health secretary and Allegra Stratton as Downing Street spokesman, the prime minister said: with what we do. “
Mr Johnson – along with his wife Carrie Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak – were fined for violating Covid laws last month.
Since then, lawmakers have approved the Privileges Commission to launch an investigation after the police completed their own investigation into the gatherings.
So far, police have said they have issued at least 50 fines as part of their investigation.
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