London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

'Putin likes it': PM blames Russia for cost of living crisis - and admits energy bills will be 'eye-watering' in winter

'Putin likes it': PM blames Russia for cost of living crisis - and admits energy bills will be 'eye-watering' in winter

"It was Putin's invasion of Ukraine that spooked the energy markets. It is Putin's war that is costing British consumers. That is why your energy bill is doubling," Boris Johnson wrote.

Boris Johnson has admitted that energy bills will be "eye-watering" this winter - and the cost of heating is already "frightening" for some.

Writing in The Mail on Sunday, the outgoing prime minister blamed Vladimir Putin for the worsening crisis - and claimed the Russian president "likes it".

And although Mr Johnson warned the months ahead could be "very tough", he has insisted the UK's future "will be golden".

He wrote: "It was Putin's invasion of Ukraine that spooked the energy markets. It is Putin's war that is costing British consumers.

"That is why your energy bill is doubling. I am afraid Putin knows it. He likes it. And he wants us to buckle."

Mr Johnson claimed that the president believes "soft" European politicians will ease sanctions "and go begging for Russian oil and gas" as the winter sets in.

But he warned withdrawing support from Ukraine would be "utter madness" - and insisted Putin's position "grows weaker" with every passing month.

Boris Johnson met Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Wednesday


The Conservative government has been accused of lacking urgency with the cost of living crisis as the leadership contest between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss continues.

However, Mr Johnson wrote: "We must, and we will help people through the crisis. Colossal sums of taxpayers' money are already committed to helping people pay their bills. That cash is flowing now - and will continue to flow in the months ahead.

"Next month - whoever takes over from me - the government will announce another huge package of financial support."

Ms Truss, who is the frontrunner to be named the next prime minister on 5 September, has said it would not be "right" to announce her full plans for tackling the crisis until the contest is over.

In his article, Mr Johnson attempted to strike an optimistic note, and said he was certain "Britain will emerge stronger and more prosperous the other side".

He later added: "We have more than enough resilience to get through the months ahead. We have shown that before.

"And we have made the long-term decisions - including on domestic energy supply - to ensure that our bounceback can and should be remarkable and that our future will be golden."

But Labour's shadow minister Pat McFadden told Sky News the PM's article "just shows how little he understands the shockwave that was sent through households around the country by Ofgem's announcement on Friday".

He added: "We are looking at energy bills of hundreds of pounds per month for households around the country and the conversation that's taking place, of course, is 'how can we afford this, what else can we cut? And for some people, it will simply be impossible."

But former cabinet minister Simon Hart, who was among those who resigned in protest at Mr Johnson's premiership, said it was "perfectly reasonable" for the PM to say the UK will bounce back.

"We started this in a reasonably strong position, thanks to some of the decisions which have been taken by Rishi Sunak, to be honest, over things like furlough.

"[So] actually we are going to be able to emerge from this in a period of months in a reasonably strong position. That's an entirely reasonable scenario."

Reports in The Sunday Telegraph suggest Ms Truss is considering cutting VAT by up to five percentage points to help consumers and businesses cope with rising costs - potentially from 20% to 15%.

A source told Sky News that Ms Truss "will consider options to help people, but it would not be right for her to announce her plans before she has been elected prime minister or seen all the facts".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×