With Keir Starmer on holiday, Labour treads water on cost of living
In the middle of August, politicians can often afford to take long breaks away from Westminster to recharge – and sometimes get a valuable dose of perspective. But the extent to which politicians – including those in the Labour party – have gone missing this summer is particularly striking.
As the energy price cap soars and millions of households face having to pay thousands more in bills, the most prominent voices calling for solutions have been Gordon Brown, Martin Lewis and Ed Davey – three men who won’t hold power any time soon. Keir Starmer is on holiday and Labour’s summer campaign on the cost of living crisis appears not to have yet begun.
Davey’s call in the Guardian this week for the government to cancel the price cap rise and pay the billions in difference – as well as impose a new windfall tax on oil and gas profits – is imperfect. But it immediately led to cries of anguish from Labour activists that their own party was not coming up with similar bold proposals.
Brown has sometimes coordinated his interventions with the leader’s office, especially on crucial economic and child poverty issues. But the former prime minister is now making his calls unbidden.
On the airwaves over the past few days, capable shadow ministers including Justin Madders and Kerry McCarthy have found themselves treading water on the issue of what Labour would do to help working families.
Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, reiterated in a statement that the party still favoured scrapping tax breaks on oil and gas producers and “providing more help to people who are struggling to pay their energy bills”.
No one thinks that will be the extent of the offer by next week. But so far, all Labour is able to talk about in terms of specific direct
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