Nicola Sturgeon issues cost of living warning to Boris Johnson

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has written to Boris Johnson to request an "emergency meeting" over the cost of living crisis.

Ms Sturgeon has asked that a scheduled meeting with the prime minister should be brought forward due to the "fast deteriorating" situation.

She told the PM only the UK government could access resources "on the scale required".

The UK government said Scotland had been granted record funding levels.

In her letter, Ms Sturgeon said that "many people across the UK simply cannot afford to wait until September for further action to be taken".

The Scottish Government Resilience Room will convene this week to discuss what steps can be taken to "urgently ease the burden on households across Scotland, both now and in the future".

Ms Sturgeon, who is due to meet Mr Johnson in September, said the Scottish government would invest almost £3bn this year in a range of measures to help address the cost of living pressures.

But she added: "It is a statement of fact that many of the levers which would make the biggest difference lie with the UK government.

"It is also the case that only the UK government can access and make available resources on the scale required. Therefore, actions by devolved governments alone - though important - will not be enough to meet the unprecedented challenges we face."

The first minister warned action was needed now to address "significant gaps in help for households", in particular those on low incomes.

She also described planned policy changes by Conservative party leader candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss as "an irresponsible reduction in broad-based taxed which will benefit the relatively better-off over those most in need".

In response, a spokeswoman for the prime minister said: "We recognise the pressures families across the United Kingdom are facing due to rising prices caused by global challenges.

"That's why the UK government is providing 689,000 households in Scotland with the £650 cost-of-living payment, £300 for all Scottish pensioners and £400 to help people with their energy bills."

The spokeswoman said the Scottish government had also been provided with an extra £82m to help vulnerable families.

She added: "The UK government's spending review provided the Scottish government with a record £41bn annual settlement for the next three years and we will continue to work collaboratively with them."

Last week, the Bank of England announced projections that could see inflation rise above 13% in October, while another projection found that the energy price cap could rise to £3,358 annually from October, and could hit £3,615 from January.

The UK government was warned by business leaders that it must have "all hands to the pump" to address the crisis ahead of the autumn.

Boris Johnson says he wants to leave any big spending decisions to whoever takes over from him as prime minister.

And it is true to say that by acting he would likely face accusations of tying the hands of his successor, a lame duck throwing a shadow over the next regime.

But there are still four weeks to go until he exits Downing Street. And Nicola Sturgeon makes the point that he chose to stay on in the interim, despite calls from his opponents to depart immediately.

If he is still in the job, she argues, then he ought to be doing something while he's there. And the cost of living crisis is too big to simply ignore.

Many are feeling the pinch already - and many more may look back in the winter and wish more had been done sooner.

A meeting of heads of government might not feel like a ground-breaking move, but it would at least be a signal that minds are focused on the growing crisis and that ministers are not simply sitting on their hands.

Tony Danker, director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), joined former prime minister Gordon Brown's call for swift intervention to address rising energy costs.

But Downing Street said Mr Johnson had no plans to introduce major new fiscal measures before the end of his premiership.

Mr Danker said: "We simply cannot afford a summer of government inactivity while the leadership contest plays out followed by a slow start from a new prime minister and cabinet.

"The prime minister and chancellor should be taking the next few weeks to grip the emerging crisis and the planning required to tackle it. This will also give their successor - whomever that may be - the very best chance of getting quickly out of the blocks."

He added that the prime minister and the candidates vying to replace him - Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss - should "come together to agree a common pledge to support people and help quell fears".

The CBI also called for top civil servants to be directed to draft options to help struggling households ahead of a new prime minister being selected.

The prime minister's official spokesman said Mr Johnson - who is back in No 10 following his holiday in Slovenia - would be speaking to Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi to ensure that support measures due to come into effect later in the year remained on track.

But the spokesman added that any further measures would be a matter for Mr Johnson's successor once the Tory leadership contest concludes.

Mr Johnson has been urged by Mr Brown to trigger the UK government's emergency response committee to deal with the crisis.

Writing in the Daily Record newspaper on Monday, the former prime minister issued a plea for "urgent measures" to cover further rises in fuel bills.

He urged Boris Johnson to unite with Tory leadership hopefuls Ms Truss and Mr Sunak to prepare and agree on an emergency budget - or face growing pressure to recall Parliament and force them to do so.

Mr Brown said: "With millions standing on the edge of a financial precipice, we call for urgent measures to cover the cost of a further £1000-plus rise in fuel bills on top of April's already painful increases."

He added: "Cobra, the UK Government's disaster emergency committee, should be in permanent session to deal with the coming fuel and energy crisis."

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