BORIS Johnson has admitted that his support to help with the cost of living does not go far enough, but he insisted that the government “was doing everything that we can”.

The government’s initial £15bn package was announced back in May when it was predicted the energy price cap would rise to £2,800 this autumn.

According to the latest forecast from Auxilione, it will now likely hit £3,628 in October. They said it could then rise again to £4,538 in January and peak at £5,277 in April

The cap is currently set at £1,971.

Three months ago, the then Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a one-off payment of £300 to pensioners who are receiving the winter fuel allowance, a one-off payment of £650 to those on the lowest incomes paid in two instalments, and a £400 discount on bills for all households from October.

The Prime Minister has just three more weeks in office, and No 10 has previously made clear that it is up to his successor to make any significant fiscal interventions. 

Talking to reporters in north Wales, Mr Johnson was asked if he believed the current package of support was enough.

He said: “No, because what I’m saying what we’re doing, in addition, is trying to make sure that by October, by January, there is further support and what the government will be doing, whoever is the prime minister, is making sure there is extra cash to help people.

“I think it is crucial to understand that, first of all, we realised for a long time that things were going to be tough and that’s why we put in place a lot of measures already.

“The money has started to come through. I think it is very important for people to understand, most people have not yet received the help the government has already allocated.

"So over the course of the next couple of months, you will see about eight million households get another £326.

"You will see everybody in October get help with the energy support scheme.”

Mr Johnson insisted there will be further help in the new year.

He said: “The price of energy we’re going to bring down by investment in British supply in renewables, in nuclear and all the other.

“I’m not going to pretend that things are easy for people right now. You’re right to push me because we’re doing everything that we can.

“But there’s more money coming anyway, as a result of the decisions being taken, there will be further help coming in October and in the new year.”

He added: “The cash is not only coming through now, and has started to come through, but will continue to come through over the weeks and months ahead.

“What we are doing is making sure that we have the fiscal firepower, we have the cash, to help people more at those two key points, in October and January."

“What you fundamentally have got to do is make sure that you do some things to fix the energy markets," he added.

This, the Prime Minister said, was what he, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng discussed with the CEOs of a number of British energy companies on Thursday. 

Mr Johnson said his government was trying to “undo the tragic mistakes of the past”, adding: “What this government is doing is now green-lighting nuclear energy when for the whole of the period of the Labour government not a single nuclear power plant was started.

“So, we are doing stuff in the short term and in the medium term and in the long term.”

He also said: “Thanks to the decisions of this government, we have a robust economic situation in which actually we have virtually record-low unemployment.”

“What we are doing is making sure that we have the fiscal firepower, we have the cash, to help people more at those two key points, in October and January,” Mr Johnson added.