August 15
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer today unveils his plan to freeze the energy price cap, vowing that his party “wouldn’t let people pay a penny more” on their gas and electricity bills this winter.
Halting price rises in both October and January would save the typical family £1,000 and keep inflation under control during the cost of living crisis, according to Labour.
Sir Keir said his “fully-funded” £29bn plan to keep the cap at current levels throughout the winter would partly be covered by expanding the windfall tax imposed on oil and gas giants.
“Britain’s cost of living crisis is getting worse, leaving people scared about how they’ll get through the winter,” he said. “This is a national emergency. It needs strong leadership and urgent action.”
His announcement comes as a coalition of 70 major charities signed an open letter to Ms Truss and Mr Sunak calling on them to double the level of support to low-income families in order to avert a “catastrophe” over the winter. |
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August 16
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Doctors have raised “serious concerns” about the autumn rollout of Covid boosters as GPs warn a cut in government funding means many can no longer afford to offer jabs.
The UK Health Security Agency announced it will offer a new Omicron-specific jab, by Moderna, to over-50s, as part of its latest vaccination programme due to start in September. But leaders of major GP practices have told The Independent that reduced funding at a time of rising costs and staff shortages makes the jab “unviable”. The British Medical Association (BMA) has said it has “serious concerns” about how a drop in GPs offering jabs would affect the vaccination programme and called for the funding to be increased.
The contract for GPs to deliver vaccines this autumn has been cut from £12.58 per dose to £10.06, while a £10 supplement for them to give jabs in care homes and to other vulnerable groups has also been cut. |
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August 17
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Britain’s rate of inflation has surged to a new 40-year high, heaping more pressure on households struggling with the cost of living crisis.
The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose to 10.1 percent in the 12 months to July, up from 9.4 percent in June and remaining at the highest level since 1982, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
July’s inflation rate is higher than the 9.8 percent figure expected by most economists and represents a further squeeze on people’s pockets.
Inflation is expected to peak later this year at 13.3 percent and will push the UK into a recession, according to the Bank of England. |
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What is Labour’s plan to freeze energy bills? |
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Sir Keir Starmer has announced his plan to tackle soaring energy bills this winter, calling runaway household fuel costs a “national emergency”.
The Labour leader’s “fully costed” £29bn strategy would freeze Ofgem’s energy price cap – the maximum amount utility companies can charge customers on standard tariffs – preventing the further dramatic rises forecast for October and January.
But how exactly would it be paid for and what has the reaction been? |
August 18
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Hundreds of thousands of pupils are to receive their A-level exam results across England, Wales and Northern Ireland today, with grades expected to be lower than during the pandemic but higher than 2019.
Students who sat exams for the first time since before the coronavirus outbreak are expected to face tough competition for university places. Despite the scramble for spots, A-level pupils have been warned not to bank on a drop in competition for places next year as a reason to defer their entry.
Chris Hale, interim chief of Universities UK, said that the high demand was likely to continue next year so anyone considering delaying the start of their course should “think very carefully”. That was echoed by Clare Marchant, chief executive of UCAS, who said a rise in the number of 18-year-olds nationally means they do not anticipate next year “will be less competitive”.
She added: “This year has seen another increase in the 18-year-old population and we have seen a record number of those 18-year-olds apply to enter higher education in 2022, at a record rate of 44 per cent. These trends are set to continue in coming years.” |
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August 19
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Labour has written to Boris Johnson and the two Tory leadership contenders to demand parliament returns early in order to tackle the deepening cost of living “emergency”.
The call for MPs to return two weeks early on 22 August comes ahead of Ofgem’s announcement on the new energy price cap on 26 August, which Labour has called a “crucial deadline” for action.
Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled a “fully costed” plan to freeze the price cap at the current level of £1,971 throughout the winter, with gas and electricity bills forecast to hit around £3,600 in October.
Johnson – currently enjoying a holiday in Greece – has said it is up to his successor to take action, and both Truss and Sunak have spurned the idea of freezing bills, despite warnings that 13 million people will be pushed into debt.
In a letter to ministers, NHS leaders have said that rising numbers of people will fall sick and see their health worsen unless the government takes further action to limit energy price rises.
The NHS Confederation said the UK was facing a “humanitarian crisis”. |
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August 20 – August 21
A taste of last week’s most popular premium articles
John Rentoul initially thought Rishi Sunak would win the Conservative leadership contest, but he appears wrong. Here, he lays out how he misjudged the mood of the Tory grassroots and their view of Liz Truss.
Birmingham has been praised by many for the job it has done in hosting this year’s Commonwealth Games, including highlighting a number of different parts of the city. However, Sean T Smith visits one area, Digbeth, facing a longer-term identity crisis.
Is ‘Moonraker’ the worst James Bond film ever or an unheralded 007 masterpiece? Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary have had a heated discussion about the merits of the 1979 film in a recent podcast. Geoffrey Macnab weighs up the pros and cons.
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Preceding
The Independent looking at the 2nd week of August
Some View on the World 