SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford wants parliament to be recalled due to the cost of living emergency as he claimed Boris Johnson is “missing in action”.
The senior nationalist MP warned struggling families and businesses “cannot wait” for extra support to pay their bills while the Tory leadership race rages on.
Last week the Bank of England warned Britain could be headed for a recession.
Locals in the north and north-east have been feeling the crunch and energy bills are set to continue rising later in the year.
An Aberdeen Chinese takeaway is set to close after its gas bills rose from £1,000 to more than £10,000 per quarter.
The Scottish SPCA plans to deliver pet food to north-east foodbanks after figures showed one in five are worried they won’t be able to feed them.
Local councils are considering introducing “warm banks” to help residents pay their soaring bills.
Meanwhile, households in the north of Scotland have been overcharged for electricity for years due to a flaw in a UK Government subsidy scheme.
Tory leadership hopefuls Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have been pressured over how they will help families cope as the crisis continues.
‘Come out of hiding’
Mr Blackford said: “The UK Prime Minister is missing in action.
“Boris Johnson might be on his way out – and rightly so – but for now he is still the prime minister, with duties to protect the people who live here.
“He must come out of hiding and recall Parliament immediately.
“People cannot wait another several weeks for the next Prime Minister to be installed for financial support.”
Ex-Labour prime minister Gordon Brown insisted there is a “vacuum” at the heart of government which has led to the emergency being ignored.
He said: “There’s got to be someone in charge. And it’s not just that they’re asleep at the wheel – there’s nobody at the wheel at the moment.”