John Lewis chair calls for cost-of-living support package

White, a former second permanent secretary to the Treasury, said the government should offer similar levels of financial support as it did during the Covid pandemic.

“The time has absolutely come for action whether it is an emergency budget or whether it is another vehicle,” said White, speaking on ITV’s Peston show on 11 May.

She warned that action needs to be taken before summer, with consumers facing another spike in energy bills of as much as £1,000 per year from October.

“The decisive action we saw, I thought the government did incredibly well at the pace and scale during Covid, I think we need to see the same decisive action taken at speed and at pace,” White continued.

“The hit is either going to happen to households, to families, to people on low incomes, or we take a decision that given the scale and everything that’s happening […] actually a temporary hit on public finances is worth it.”

“Windfall tax” on energy
As BP and Shell announced gargantuan profits in response to soaring energy prices, White suggested a “windfall tax” could be placed on energy firms, to subsidise the cost of bills faced by consumers.

“I think it’s the right territory, I think certainly the government and the regulator [Ofgem] need to act on that second rise,” she said.

“Now a windfall tax, it’s not perfect but actually given the severity and the urgency of the situation, I think it’s a reasonable approach.”

White’s comments come after John Allan, chair of Tesco, said on 10 May there was an “overwhelming case” for a windfall tax, to ease the cost-of-living crisis for those struggling most.