Boris Johnson stunned many this morning when he turned up at a gathering between power bosses, Nadhim Zahawi and Kwasi Kwarteng.
The truth that his presence on the Downing Avenue summit was thought-about to be newsworthy spoke volumes.
However anybody hoping that the prime minister’s presence would possibly result in a brand new bundle of assist for hard-pressed clients struggling to pay their payments was sorely upset.
Proof of Johnson’s political impotence got here from the person himself.
In an announcement issued by No.10 afterwards, he stated: “Following our assembly right now, we’ll maintain urging the electrical energy sector to proceed engaged on methods we will ease the price of dwelling pressures and to take a position additional and sooner in British power safety.”
Studying these phrases, you can be forgiven for not realising that Johnson remains to be — in identify at the least — main a authorities with all the energy that entails.
He even had the gall to say he and his ministers “are doing all the pieces we will to assist [people] and should proceed to take action”.
This somewhat flew within the face of feedback from his personal spokesman, who stated on Monday that “by conference it’s not for this prime minister to make main fiscal interventions” earlier than his successor is introduced on September 5.
And this was earlier than it emerged that the power value cap is ready to rise to greater than £4,200 a yr from January.
Chancellor Zahawi was decreased to interesting to the mega-rich power bosses’ higher nature to assist struggling homeowners, as a result of the federal government has determined it gained’t really do something to pressure them.
“Within the spirit of nationwide unity, they agreed to work with us to do extra to assist the individuals who most want it,” he stated.
There are nonetheless greater than three weeks to go earlier than Johnson’s successor is introduced, throughout which era we will safely assume he and his authorities will do nothing on the largest monetary disaster going through Britons in many years.
No matter what you consider Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss’s personal options to the nation’s ills, September 5 can’t come rapidly sufficient.
