Cost of food, school uniforms and Christmas MUST be slashed to help struggling Brits, says Boris’ cost of living tsar

FIRMS must urgently slash costs of school uniforms, food and Christmas, Boris Johnson's cost of living tsar has ordered.

Wealthy chiefs must use their bumper profits to give struggling families a "helping hand" as inflation bites and prices soar.

Revealing his six-month battle plan to keep costs down, David Buttress urged firms to "step up" and bring him a string of new ideas about how the government and businesses can help save people cash.

A four-point plan will focus around the summer holidays, back to school, autumn bills rising, and Christmas, when families are to be squeezed the most.

The former Just Eat Chief hailed programmes like Greggs' breakfast clubs, mobile phone chiefs dishing out cheaper social tariffs, and getting more people to use food waste app, Too Good To Go.

Ministers will roll out a new cost of living campaign in the coming weeks - complete with a logo and slogan.

He told business leaders at the CBI tonight it was time for them to "join a national effort" to play a "full part in easing the burden for millions of people".

The tsar told a room of top CEOs: "All of us in our lives remember when we needed a helping hand, and we remember those who stepped up.

"This is your time to join a national effort – to help households: your customers, your employees, your suppliers, and wider stakeholders too.

 "This is a moment to roll our sleeves up and get stuck in.

"CEOs want to make deals.

"The deal here is to help the British people through the next six months.

"We can all brainstorm the best ideas of others, and scale them up to help millions."

Mr Buttress landed himself in hot water after a string of old tweets criticising the PM emerged - just days after he was announced for the unpaid role.