MPs and Pompey Pensioners chairman react with mixed responses to chancellor Rishi Sunak's plans to tackle cost of living crisis

Rishi Sunak introduced a package of new measures to tackle the rise in energy prices, with every UK household set to receive a £400 discount on energy bills in October as part of the £15b package.

This will also include a windfall tax on energy companies and a further £650 payment for the poorest households.

It comes a day after Sue Gray released a report into Downing Street parties during lockdown increasing government pressure to help those affected by the rise in cost of living.

The new measures are also set to provide pensioners and disabled citizens with more targeted support.

Local MPs and campaign group, Pompey Pensioners, have reacted to the move with mixed responses.

Labour Portsmouth South MP, Stephen Morgan, says more needs to be done to help city residents.

He said: ‘[The chancellor’s] dither and delay has created months of unnecessary anxiety for Portsmouth people with many local families and pensioners struggling over how they are going to afford their energy bills. All of this could have been avoided if he just swallowed his pride and backed Labour’s plan.

‘Despite only bringing in the plan months ago, he’s had to ditch his dodgy buy now, pay later loan that was always destined for failure.

‘But ministers still have no long-term plan to grow our economy and pull us out of the mess they’ve got us into.’

Tory Gosport MP, Caroline Dinenage, was more supportive of the move.

She said: ‘Despite the £22bn in support that has already been announced, many of my constituents are worried about the pressures that lie ahead. We know the government can’t protect households from the full impact of the global economic pressures, however this timely announcement will provide much needed reassurance.’

Steve Bonner, chairman of Pompey Pensioners, who are a campaigning voice for pensioners in the city said that while the move is ‘welcome’, it’s ‘still not enough’.

He says another budget needs to be enforced now.

‘It's estimated that some bills may go up to £2,000 and the raise in pensions recently has already been lost to inflation so I think it’s a little too late and a little too little,’ he told The News.

‘People are already making the choice between heating or eating but come October we'll be heading for the winter and with another 50 per cent increase in gas we'll be sorely tested by that. I think we need another budget looking at an increase in benefits and pensions as well as some sort of government intervention on energy prices.’

MP for Meon Valley, Flick Drummond, has backed the new measures, saying the chancellor has ‘acted in a thoughtful way’ to ‘help those most vulnerable’.

She said: ‘The chancellor has listened to concerns across the country about the cost of living and acted in a thoughtful and targeted way to help those who are most vulnerable.

‘But energy costs and inflation affect everyone and so the £400 off energy bills for every household is very welcome, along with the extra for those on benefits, older people and the disabled. It will make a huge difference.’