Rishi Sunak has reportedly ignored pleas for an Emergency Budget as he uses Parliamentary Easter recess to go on holiday.
According to BBC Newsnight reports the chancellor has headed to his £5 million property in California, which offers sun, sea and even a pet spa.
It also offers an around-the-clock concierge and a fitness centre “stocked with the latest equipment for those looking to improve their cardiovascular or muscular endurance”.
Alison Thewliss, the SNP’s shadow chancellor, accused the UK Government of making a “deliberate political choice” to ignore the rising financial pressures on households in the Spring Statement.
She has called on Sunak to scrap his break and return to Westminister to give an ‘Emergency Budget’ to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
Soaring energy bills
Britons have warned that people will be “suffering” and “living on the streets” as energy bills skyrocket thanks to a 54 per cent increase to Ofgem’s price cap and the worsening cost-of-living crisis.
New figures suggested that almost half of adults were struggling to pay their energy bills before the biggest jump in prices in living memory came into effect this week.
One woman from Belper, Derbyshire, was paying £39 per month but received an email on Friday saying her new bill will be £133.68 a month – a rise of 243%.
Andie Darlington, 48, was recently made redundant from her job as a product designer and told the PA news agency: “It’s just staggering.
“It was a massive, massive shock… I knew the price was going to rise, I knew it’d be a big rise, I thought it might double, but this much – who can afford that?
“Even people who were relatively well off, they’re not going to be able to afford this (and) people on benefits, they’re just absolutely screwed.”
“Scary times”
Ms Darlington was originally with energy supplier Avro but moved to Octopus Energy when Avro went bust.
Her bill will be reduced to £111.68 from April 2023 and has savings that will tide her over for a few weeks but is already having to “wear loads of clothes” and not heat her home.
“I’m using my heating less – I’ve normally got my heating on at sort of 22C and it’s not on at the minute so it’s really cold,” she said.
“I’m just gonna have to not heat my home any more and wear loads of clothes and hot water bottles.
“We’re supposed to be the fifth richest economy in the world, and people are relying on food banks.
“Food banks are in more demand than ever and that was before all this happened.
“You’re going to get people losing their homes and living on the streets before too long… Scary times.”
Related: Cost-of-living crisis: Mother breaks down as she admits she is eating her children’s leftovers
