The Queen’s Speech held 38 new bills – but not one will help with the cost of gas

Editorial: A global energy crisis isn’t going to be resolved by a British act of parliament but the government might have made a bit more effort to at least make it look like they considered it a priority

(Dave Brown)

Some 38 bills were announced in the Queen’s Speech, but not a single one will help with the gas bill. The cost of living crisis merited barely a mention in the government’s programme, which is more than a disappointment or oversight and something approaching an act of political recklessness.

Of course, a global energy crisis isn’t going to be resolved by a British act of parliament, but the government might have made a bit more effort to at least make it look like they considered it a priority. It suggests, just as the chancellor’s spring statement did, that the government does not quite know what to do about it.

For now they have contented themselves with a promise to “support” the Bank of England in its efforts to get inflation down – though rising interest rates will only push mortgage bills and business costs higher and exacerbate the crisis in the short term. At any rate, it doesn’t augur well for a political recovery in time for the next election, given that 10 per cent inflation and a near-recession are forecast in the coming months.