DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Don’t waste energy on petulance, Mr Sunak
Unlike some of our credulous European neighbours, Britain was wise not to end up dangerously hooked on Russian energy.
Even so, it is hugely symbolic that June was the first month on record when we did not buy any gas, oil or coal from Vladimir Putin.
But while this country can be proud of not bankrolling the tyrant’s war in Ukraine, UK households are not protected from the pain of soaring global fuel prices.
Tomorrow, the energy price cap is expected to surge from just under £2,000. In October it will be about £3,700 and by next Easter, it could be an eye-watering £6,500.
Of course, sky-high gas and electricity bills are one economic cost of stopping Putin’s murderous aggression. But as Boris Johnson pointed out in Kyiv: ‘The people of Ukraine are paying in their blood.’
While no one would diminish that enormous sacrifice, it’s nevertheless true there will be suffering here too.
The energy price cap is expected to surge from just under £2,000. In October it will be about £3,700 and by next Easter, it could be an eye-watering £6,500
Unless the new prime minister urgently extends already generous support to families, millions will be condemned to shivering hunger this winter.
Could he or she freeze prices? Lavish more handouts on households – even higher earners? Scrap VAT and green levies on fuel? Each solution has its pros and cons.
The sums needed would be wince-inducing. And how to pay for it without pushing Britain closer to bankruptcy?
One thing is certain, to face such gargantuan challenges, the next PM needs a united Tory parliamentary party.
So it reflects incredibly badly on Rishi Sunak that he refuses to say whether he’d vote for Liz Truss’s emergency budget if, as expected, she wins the leadership contest.
If he and his supporters don’t stop the ‘blue-on-blue’ attacks, they may as well throw open No 10’s doors to Labour, which could destroy the Conservative Party.
Mr Sunak must put party and country first, not petulant personal grievances.
Magnificent nations
It can sometimes be easy to be defeatist about Britain. After all, the Left never tires of gleefully telling us what a gloomy, global irrelevance we are.
Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, has no truck with such risible sentiments. This country, he says, should be immensely proud of the support we’ve offered his benighted nation in the fight against Russian tyranny.
He praises Boris Johnson for leading the world in supplying weapons to repel Putin’s army and imposing crippling sanctions.
And he is overwhelmed at so many British families opening their homes – and hearts – to Ukrainians fleeing the war.
‘Thank you, Britain,’ says Mr Prystaiko, ‘for everything you have done.’ We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with his magnificent, defiant people.
A for effort, Priti
Priti Patel can’t be accused of lacking determination in trying to tackle the Channel migrants crisis.
With huge numbers of Albanians now trying to smuggle themselves into Britain in small boats, she today unveils a scheme to send them home ‘within hours’.
Of course, they’ll no doubt exploit our inane human rights laws to thwart removal. Still, let’s hope the Home Secretary’s latest wheeze works. With record numbers of migrants reaching our shores in dinghies, nothing else has.
- A day never passes without Nicola Sturgeon threatening to break up the United Kingdom. But the vast economic benefits for Scotland of staying could not be clearer. For every man, woman and child north of the border, the ‘Union dividend’ is now nearly £2,000. Independence would need that sum to be recouped through higher taxes, or austerity. We’ve said it before. We’ll say it again. We are better together.
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