Newspaper headlines: 'PM-in-waiting' as 'talks held to freeze bills'
- Published
Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak appeared on Laura Kuenssberg's new politics show ahead of the announcement on who will become prime minister
The papers have little doubt that Liz Truss will be the next Conservative leader and prime minister - and according to The Daily Telegraph, external and The Times, external, she is already considering freezing energy bills, as one of her first undertakings in the job.
The Telegraph says it has been told by campaign sources and energy company insiders that a freeze, in some form, is expected, to avoid an energy "Armageddon", external.
The Times reports that Ms Truss is expected to announce a support package for energy costs that will "rival furlough", external. It says senior Conservatives, lined up for appointments in a Truss cabinet, have been told "in no uncertain terms" not to scorn the idea that energy bills could be frozen, to help deal with the soaring cost of living.
The Daily Express, external says Ms Truss' "aid package", to help households, could be worth £100bn. It reports that a plan to support people and businesses will be unveiled within a week.
The Financial Times, external says Kwasi Kwarteng, who is tipped to be the next chancellor, has launched what it calls a "pre-emptive bid to reassure markets", that Ms Truss will not "blow a hole" in the public finances.
And in an apparent swipe at Ms Truss' leadership rival, Rishi Sunak, Mr Kwarteng writes in the FT that her administration will be "bold" in promoting growth and denounces what he calls the "stale old economic managerialism that has left us with a stagnating economy".
The i newspaper, external calls Liz Truss the "PM-in-waiting" and says it has been told by a former Cabinet minister that she is set to rein in public spending to pay for extra support. The paper also says a Treasury source has claimed that tax cuts for top earners are on the way.
The Guardian, external says the likely prime minister will press ahead with plans for the UK to be a low-tax economy, with less focus on wealth redistribution.
Meanwhile, The Daily Star, external suggests that a pint of beer could hit £20, as pubs face a 500% surge in energy costs. "Tears for beers," is the paper's headline.
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