LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet with senior business leaders on Thursday to discuss what more can be done to help families struggling with the rising cost of living, his office said.
Official data released on Wednesday showed surging petrol and food prices last month pushed British inflation to its highest rate in 40 years, with annual consumer price inflation hitting 9.4% in June.
The government said several businesses had already agreed deals and discounts to help families over the school summer holiday period, including free or low cost meals for children in some supermarket cafes.
Last month, the government appointed former Just Eat chief executive David Buttress to work with the private sector to identify, develop and promote new and existing initiatives such as discounted prices or product offers.
Thursday’s meeting with Johnson and Buttress is likely to include representatives from Sainsbury’s, Vodafone, Amazon and Centrica, the government said.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan. Editing by Jane Merriman)
