UK inflation Hike 2022: Boris Johnson on the edge of the precipice

Fears of Boris Johnson taking responsibility may spark Conservative party members against him, especially when millions of people are struggling with the UK inflation hike and Rising prices. So far, Boris Johnson has resisted pressure to resign. Tension escalated after police fined Johnson for violating quarantine regulations.

Why is PM Boris Johnson under extreme pressure?

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under fire amid a rise in prices as official data showed on May 18 2022, that the UK inflation rate in the country has surged to a 40-year high on soaring energy costs. UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) noted that UK inflation jumped to 9 per cent in the 12 months to April, up from 7 per cent in March. Notably, April’s figure marked the highest inflation rate since 1982. The data has caused concerns and sparked calls for an emergency government budget to combat a worsening cost-of-living crisis in the country. 

Amid the crisis, the new chief inspector of the constabulary stated that the cost of living situation would trigger increased crime. He advised that the officers should use their “discretion” in case of punishing people who might steal to eat. 

“The impact of poverty, and the impact of lack of opportunity for people, does lead to an increase in crime. ” Andy Cooke said there are no two ways about that,” quoted by The Guardian. “What they’ve got to bear in mind is what is the best thing for the community, and that individual, in the way they deal with those issues. And I certainly fully support police officers using their discretion – and they need to use discretion more often,” he added. 

Conservative Party members turned against Boris Johnson over UK inflation.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson sought to reset his embattled leadership with a policy blitz to tackle Britain’s cost-of-living crisis, including controversial new measures to boost home ownership. After narrowly surviving a no-confidence vote among his Conservative MPs on Monday, Johnson is under pressure to turn the page on a series of scandals, including lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street. In a speech later, he was to vow “more affordable energy, childcare, transport and housing”, according to excerpts released by Downing Street. “And, while it’s not going to be quick or easy, you can be confident that things will get better, that we will emerge from this a strong country with a healthy economy,” Johnson added.

The scale of the inflationary crisis hitting millions of Britons was underlined as the price of filling up the average family car topped £100 ($125) for the first time, according to data from the RAC motoring group. RAC spokesman Simon Williams called it “a truly dark day” for hard-pressed drivers and urged the government to slash sales tax on petrol and diesel. The government says much of the crisis is caused by factors beyond its control, such as the impact of the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine. But with two difficult by-elections coming up this month, unhappy Tory MPs want bolder measures, including tax cuts, after 40 per cent of them voted against Johnson on Monday.

Boris Johnson can’t help everyone with the cost of living.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that the government could not help everyone through the current cost-of-living crisis and had to remain prudent with its spending to avoid stoking an inflationary spiral. Surging prices have contributed to the biggest squeeze on household incomes since at least the 1950s, putting pressure on the government to come up with support for the poorest, particularly those who cannot afford soaring energy bills. Johnson acknowledged that the government could not provide enough support to offset the higher costs immediately but said it was working to deal with prices over the medium and long term. “I accept that those contributions from the taxpayer – because that’s what it is, taxpayers’ money – isn’t going to be enough immediately to help cover everybody’s costs,” he said. “Of course, that will not work enough in the short term. There is more that we can do. But the crucial thing is to ensure we deal with the prices over the medium and long term.”

Asked why welfare benefits would not rise in line with inflation, Johnson said the government had to be wary of driving up UK inflation even further. It hit a 30-year-high of 7% in March. “Although you’re quite right to point out that there is an inflationary risk, and it’s very severe, it could get worse, and that knocks on to interest rates, and that knocks on to the cost of borrowing for everybody,” he said. “And I’m sorry to say this, but we have to be prudent in our approach,” Johnson told the government was looking at providing support to families who need to use high levels of energy due to their medical needs. Finance minister Rishi Sunak has said he will wait to see how energy prices behave in the coming months before deciding what further support might be necessary when he delivers a budget statement towards the end of the year. 

Conclusion

Boris Johnson has warned that he does not have an “unlimited number of shots to play” when tackling record rises in the cost of living. And he said there would not be “a magic solution” for every family overnight. In an interview, the prime minister promised the government would “use all the ingenuity and the compassion” to support people with price hikes “in the short-term”. Labour has accused him of offering “no answers” to a “cost of living crisis”. Political parties are arguing over living costs ahead of local elections in England, Wales and Scotland and for Northern Ireland’s government.

The UK Inflation is at a 30-year high of 7%, driven upwards by surging food and energy prices, and is expected to rise further later this year. Apart from the UK, other economies are also struggling with inflation due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the lifting of coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns. These factors have led to a rise in energy and food prices, forcing central banks, including the Federal Reserve and Bank of England, to hike interest rates. Under current Conservative party rules, Party Johnson cannot be challenged for a year, which leaves little time for any new leader to emerge before the next general election due by 2024.

Johnson’s Tory enemies still appear to be maneuvering, with reports that he faces a “war of attrition” and “vote strikes” to paralyses the government’s legislative agenda. Such “vote strikes” hurt Theresa May’s three-year stint in Downing Street before she was brought down in 2019 by Johnson and his allies over how to execute Britain’s exit from the European Union. The government is set to launch another counter-offensive on the Brexit front by introducing legislation soon to rewrite a pact with the EU governing trade with Northern Ireland unless Brussels agrees to changes.