There are two interesting takeaways from Jeremy Hunt’s advice to people about taking responsibility for their energy consumption. The Chancellor came out with this line at a select committee hearing yesterday, saying:
‘For most people, we need you to play your part in reducing our energy dependency on what Putin chooses to do in Ukraine.’
This translates into the launch of the £25 million ‘no brainer’ public information campaign that Liz Truss blocked during her brief tenure, on the grounds it was not what the government should be doing. The campaign won’t tell people to turn down their thermostats or shower less, but will offer advice on changes that will save a tangible amount of money without a reduction in comfort. The Chancellor was very quick to reverse much of what Truss did. This is another small measure that he’s changed the government’s direction on entirely.
But a second important thing is that the message about individual responsibility is part of Hunt’s plan to withdraw much of the support for energy bills earlier than Truss had intended. He maintains that the most vulnerable will be protected, but that others will have to take ownership of their bills.
Even though this current iteration of the government is far less ideological than the last, there remains a concern that the public and political discourse have become too focused on what the government can do to solve every problem.
That was a worry of Rishi Sunak’s when he was chancellor as he tried to change people’s attitudes after the big state interventions of the pandemic. It continues to trouble ministers, who fear they have not done a good enough job in providing answers to questions posed by prominent campaigners such as Martin Lewis. Lewis is sometimes unfairly characterised as someone who makes it seem as though the solution to everything is big government. In fact, much of his work involves encouraging people to take ownership of their financial situations. So perhaps it’s apt that the government is now following that model too.
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