Boris Johnson blames Russian invasion for energy crisis in UK, says 'Putin likes it'

As the United Kingdom is reeling under record inflation, outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson believes the country will "emerge more powerful and more prosperous" as soon as the cost of living crisis begins to ease. In an article with The Mail, Johnson blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine for the soaring inflation in Europe.  According to The Wall Street Journal, the UK’s annual rate of inflation moved into double digits in July and is set to rise even higher by the end of the year. Earlier last week, the country's Office for National Statistics disclosed consumer prices were 10.1% higher in July than a year earlier, up from 9.4% in June. Further, it noted that residents will see an 80% increase in their annual household energy bills. 

"It was Putin's barbaric invasion that spooked the energy markets. It is Putin's war that is costing British consumers. That is why your energy bill is doubling. I am afraid Putin knows it. He likes it. And he wants us to buckle," Johnson writes in the Mail on Sunday.

However, on a positive note, he also ascertained that the country will definitely "bounce back" and has a "remarkable future" as Britain is currently dealing with alternate energy sources.  "The UK will bounce back and our future will be golden. This is because of long-term decisions, including on domestic energy supply", Johnson writes. The statement from Johnson came as his potential successor Liz Truss is mulling slashing Value Added Tax (VAT) by 5% across the board. According to the sources of Sky News, Truss is considering options to help people but would not reveal her plans before she has been elected as the next Prime Minister. In a televised debate between UK PM hopefuls, Rishi Sunak questioned Liz Truss' intelligence in handling the Treasury. Sunak contested that the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, could not handle the economy and would plunge the country into an "inflation crisis". 

Johnson urges other countries to learn a lesson from Putin's war

Meanwhile, Johnson expressed hope that the next PM would continue to assist the war-ravaged Ukraine in battling against Putin and his troops. According to Johnson, "If Putin is allowed to get away with his murder and mayhem, and to change the borders of Europe by force, then he will simply do it again, elsewhere on the periphery of the former Soviet Union." 
Further, he went on to say that other countries must draw a lesson that violence and "aggression can pay off and that will usher in a new cycle of political and economic instability."

Image: AP