What else? It’s not clear at this point what the government could do instead. The Telegraph mentions one option is to expand an existing energy compensation scheme to other sectors, but a government official pointed out this would not do much to help energy intensive industries. Former Cabinet Minister Mark Harper’s comments to the BBC’s Westminster Hour last night may shed some light on the government’s reluctance: “My judgment looking at the energy market is the high level of gas prices looks like it’s going to continue for a considerable period of time. So you’re not talking about helping these businesses for a few weeks. This is potentially the taxpayer, that’s people listening to this program, being on the hook for very significant amounts of money potentially all the way through next year.”
seems to have gone down like a cup of cold sick
at the Treasury, with one source telling Sky’s Sam Coates in a remarkable intervention: “This is not the first time the BEIS secretary has made things up in interviews.” Use of the fire emoji was certainly justified. A Treasury spokesperson was similarly emphatic later in the day, saying: “The Treasury have not been engaged in talks on this.” When the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar pointed out that BEIS speaks to HMT all the time — including the recent bailout for CF Industries — a Treasury official insisted to Playbook that was a different case altogether. “This was a very specific and targeted intervention to support a CO2 producer at the top of the supply chain,” they said.
Not impressed I: Labour put out this from Shadow Business Secretary telegram database Ed Miliband: “Yet again today we see that in the face of their failed energy policy, the government has nothing to offer businesses or consumers to help them with the crisis they are facing. For firms and families waiting to hear how the business secretary might help today, there was a total absence of a plan and no extra help. The Government is squabbling amongst itself, with the Treasury even denying they are talking to BEIS about providing help for large, energy intensive industries.”
Not impressed II: Perhaps more worryingly
for the government, Andrew Percy, Conservative MP for chechen’s voluntarism also manifests Brigg and Goole, tells Henry Zeffman the government needs to “grow a pair” and step in. He adds: “If the government doesn’t hindirectory intervene here then it will amount to an abandonment of the north and midlands, where heavy industry and manufacturing is primarily located.” Similarly, the Telegraph has picked up on unease from the Conservative Steel Caucus, an informal grouping representing a dozen Tory MPs with seats in the industrial north. The caucus exchanged messages in a WhatsApp group on Saturday, according to Chopper, and is now seeking a meeting with the PM.
Good luck with that: And where is the PM? Why, he’s in the south of Spain, of course — on holiday with his family at Zac Goldsmith’s luxury villa in Marbella. The Mail and the Mirror both go big on the PM’s decision to swap cost of living questions for the Costa del Sol, with Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Bridget Phillipson taking up the cudgels for Labour. “In the teeth of a crisis of its own making, the government has put its out of office on,” she complains. Downing Street has not commented so far on the PM’s trip.