A lot of people these days feel just stuck in a cost of living crises, increasing energy costs aren't helping that.
And it's difficult to see how the government can carry on helping in the face of global turmoil.
Petrol costs more, inflation won’t quit, and the Bank of England is too nervous to cut rates.
So, the government walks right into a political trap: people want answers, but leaders can’t really pull many strings.
Everyone wants the government to “do something,” but nobody wants them to go overboard. You’ll find plenty of voices in the media demanding bold moves such as more cash, subsidies, anything to keep households afloat.
Others push back. They say Britain just can’t keep saving everyone. After Covid spending sprees and huge energy bailouts, the state is simply tapped out. Debt’s near 100% of GDP. Even small support packages come with tough choices.
So, nothing really happens. Step in, and you risk sinking public finances. Step back, and you get slammed at the polls.
Headlines scream about war or global shocks, but the piece hints that Britain’s problems run deeper. The country has let some domestic energy sources wither while it tries (slowly) to switch to renewables. In the middle of this, it’s still hooked on international energy markets. So when something spikes out there, Britain pays the price.
So what’s left? Britain gets the worst of it: way too vulnerable to global price spikes, and not enough reliable power at home to cushion the blow.
That leaves someone like Starmer in a tough spot. The roots of this crisis mostly lie outside his control or deep in the past, but voters don’t really care about the big picture.
