In comments that appeared to contradict his predecessor, Liz Truss, who staunchly resisted telling private households to turn down their heating, the prime minister said using less energy would have the “additional by-product of increasing our energy security”. . Sunak also said people could “make up their own minds” as he met world leaders at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, but admitted most were worried about “high bills”. “There are things we can do – all of us – to improve the efficiency with which we use energy, to be careful about it,” he told GB News. Highlighting existing support payments, as well as the energy price guarantee, the Prime Minister said his priority was to “make sure we support people who need our help with bills in the winter”. Although Downing Street later confirmed that no new information campaign had been launched, some officials in the business department still hope to convince ministers of the benefits of a campaign advising people to reduce their energy use. The Help for Households website, which supports signs, has also been updated with new advice for consumers. The Guardian revealed last week that the Treasury was considering raising the energy cap from its current level of £2,500 from next April, with discussions ongoing over whether the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, should make an announcement in autumn statement. Hunt has reportedly considered raising the cap on the average household to £3,100 – a jump of £600 – to help pay for a multi-billion pound support package for those on benefits and pensions to keep their bills down. He and Sunak are understood to be in regular contact while the prime minister is at the G20 ahead of the autumn statement, which will be closely watched for the reaction of currency and debt markets given the fallout from September’s disastrous mini-budget. After admitting at the weekend that everyone would likely face a tax hike, Hunt gave further details, telling the Commons that the tough measures to be announced would also include changes to council tax. The chancellor also said support “will not end from next April”, although he did not rule out cutting it. Meanwhile, in Bali, Sunak remained unmoved when faced with suggestions that Truss had caused the estimated £60bn “black hole” in public finances that Hunt is seeking to close with tax rises and public spending cuts. He refused to apologize six times when invited by Sky News, referring only to the fact that “mistakes were made” and adding: “What I want to do now is to correct them.” Sunak said Thursday’s statement would be fair and compassionate, but stressed that inflation remains “the enemy we have to face.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Addressing City executives who have seen bonuses rise by £5,000 a year to up to £20,000, the Prime Minister urged companies not to make big pay rises. He warned: “If we end up in a wage-price spiral, the people who will suffer the most are the people on the lowest incomes, and we’ll still be having this conversation in a year.” With some NHS trusts having to set up food banks for staff, Sunak was asked if it was his burning desire to reduce their reliance on emergency support. “I’ve said in the past that it is,” he told ITV News. “I think obviously it’s a tragedy that people have to use food banks. No one wants to see food banks in our society… Of course I want to get to a place where no one needs to use a food bank.” As the government prepares for widespread strikes across the health service after nurses voted in favor of industrial action for the first time in decades, Sunak described the requested 17% pay rise as “unaffordable”. Asked if he had private health care, Sunak declined to answer, saying only that it was “not right” to talk about “his family’s health care.”
