Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer used Prime Minister’s Questions to raise concerns over the Government’s policy to give all 28 million households in Britain a £200 up-front rebate on their energy bills from October.
This will be recouped by hiking bills by £40 per year over five years from 2023.
Chancellor Mr Sunak has also promised a £150 council tax rebate for homes in bands A to D.
Sir Keir told Mr Johnson to “stand up to this Chancellor” by telling him to support families “rather than loading them with debt” and take a look at the “bumper profits” of oil and gas giants.
But Mr Johnson said the Labour plan, which includes a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers, would “clobber” supplies but joked it was an “improvement” on nationalising the companies.
The Prime Minister added: “What he would be doing is hitting the energy companies at precisely the time when we need to encourage them go for more gas because we need to transition now to cleaner fuels.
“What this Government is providing is £9.1 billion worth of support, it’s more generous than anything Labour is offering.”
But Sir Keir accused Mr Johnson of “bluff and bluster”, adding in the Commons: “The reality is this – on top of the Tory tax rises, on top of the soaring prices, the loan shark Chancellor and his unwitting sidekick have now kicked up a buy-now, pay-later scheme.
