'Help is coming' with cost of living, Business Sec insists amid concerns over winter blackouts

20 August 2022, 23:59 | Updated: 21 August 2022, 00:14

"Help is coming" for struggling Brits to deal with the cost of living crisis, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has pledged.

Work is urgently under way on "the best package of measures" so that the next Prime Minister can "hit the ground running" as soon as they take over, Mr Kwarteng said.

However, the Liz Truss supporter made it clear that a future windfall tax was off the table, instead saying he would prioritise domestic energy production.

It comes amid concerns of a particularly challenging winter, which could see several blackouts as the crisis continues to spiral out of control.

Experts believe the risk of blackouts is the highest it has been in decades, with the government being told to act fast to reduce chances, according to the Times.

Earlier on Saturday, there were also fresh warnings that energy bills could soar even higher in April to £6,000, crippling families across the UK.

Read more: Energy bills could spike to £6,000 next year, experts warn

Read more: Britain's pubs, cafes and restaurants shuttered as energy costs push them to the brink

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Writing in The Mail on Sunday, Mr Kwarteng said: "No country is immune from rising prices – least of all Britain. I understand the deep anxiety this is causing.

"As winter approaches, millions of families will be concerned about how they are going to make ends meet.

"But I want to reassure the British people that help is coming."

Ms Truss suggested families and businesses would be offered more support under her but gave little detail.

In an interview with the Sun on Sunday, she said every government "has to look at making sure life is affordable for people" and she is looking at help "across the board".

However, she doubled down on comments saying she would help people in a "Conservative way", implying handouts would be a last resort.

"What I really object to is taking money off people in tax and then giving them the money back in benefits," she said.

"That doesn't make sense to me."

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Meanwhile, Ms Truss' leadership rival, Rishi Sunak, has promised to bring forward hundreds of pounds in extra financial support.

He said he would wait until after the new level of the price cap is confirmed at the end of August before laying out details of his own plans but suggested it would involve topping up the existing support schemes to take account of the higher global gas prices.

Caretaker PM Boris Johnson has also promised a trade deal that will open up a market of around half a billion people to help businesses cope with the crisis.

Joining the "mighty" Pacific trading block "will mean lower prices on our supermarket shelves", the Express reports.

Mr Johnson and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the deal - which could boost exports by £18billion - should result in lower prices.