Boris Johnson meets with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Independence Day
Tory leadership candidate Rishi Sunak has said it was a “mistake” to empower scientists during the coronavirus pandemic, in a series of claims labelled “dangerous rubbish” by former No 10 aide Dominic Cummings.
The ex-chancellor told the Spectator magazine that he “wasn’t allowed to talk about the trade-off” of lockdowns during the early phases of the Covid crisis, which he said could have been “quicker”, and claimed to have fought against the “fear narrative” which drove public messaging.
Both he and frontrunner Liz Truss are set to take part in the penultimate hustings debate this evening, in Norwich.
The rivals have been urged to “think the unthinkable” and consider raising income tax to fund further support for those struggling with rocketing energy bills, with the Resolution Foundation think-tank saying a 1 per cent rise – largely funded by the wealthiest fifth of UK households – would raise £9.5bn a year.
A new report found the government would need to spend more than £110bn to cover almost all of Britons’ extra energy costs over the next year – or £23bn to freeze the price cap in October.
