Liz Truss wouldn't budge so Jeremy Hunt has done the budging for her - as government 'will better incentivise energy efficiency'
Liz Truss wouldn't budge, refusing, against the advice of her own climate change advisers, to launch an energy-saving campaign this winter. Now her new chancellor has done the budging for her.
Monday 17 October 2022 16:08, UK
New chancellor Jeremy Hunt is going to rein in the Energy Price Guarantee - but he also indicated that yet another U-turn is in the works.
His government's new approach, he said, "will better incentivise energy efficiency".
It was a bit of a 'blink and you'll miss it' line, but that is the very opposite of what Liz Truss said she wanted.
As version one of the Energy Price Guarantee was being launched, the prime minister steadfastly refused to ask the British public to use less energy, fearful of compromising growth.
Opposition MPs, campaigners and organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau were baffled and exasperated at what they saw as a missed opportunity.
In their view it was a chance to reduce the stress on people's wallets, decrease the need for foreign energy imports, and make some progress on tackling climate change.
In short - a no-brainer.
But Liz Truss wouldn't budge, refusing, against the advice of her own climate change advisers, to launch an energy-saving campaign this winter.
Now Jeremy Hunt has done the budging for her.
For many, it means that common sense has prevailed.
But what will "better incentivising energy efficiency" actually mean in the chaos of this political moment?
The chancellor might simply mean that exposing people to price rises will by default encourage a reduction in demand.
Certainly, with the public purse in such poor shape, it seems very unlikely there will be a new spending programme to incentivise home heating and insulation measures.
Perhaps the government will back the National Grid, which said in its winter outlook that it was going to start a voluntary scheme that would pay people to avoid using electricity at times of peak demand.
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Or perhaps at the back of Mr Hunt's mind is another issue, also raised by the National Grid - that asking citizens to reduce energy consumption may help avoid the need for rationing or blackouts.
As he battles to bring some stability to the country, the new chancellor will want to keep the lights on.
To do otherwise would be politically devastating at a time when the Conservatives can least afford it.