The government has done nothing to prepare us for the coming financial storm

Editorial: Winter seems too far away to worry about but a massive financial storm is coming and our politicians are talking about bathrooms

Charities are concerned about soaring energy prices

(PA)

Like in a “phoney war”, there is still a sense of unreality, even complacency, about the coming energy crisis.

Perhaps because of the unseasonably hot weather, winter seems a long way away, and to worry about the cost of heating and lighting many months from now feels almost in poor taste. Without anyone saying as much, there’s a feeling shared by many that perhaps something will turn up.

Perhaps the war in Ukraine will come to an unexpected conclusion, and with it the sanctions on Russia and its gas. Perhaps the Saudis will respond to Western pleas and start pumping oil. Maybe China and India will do the right thing and ostracise Vladimir Putin, to bring the conflict to a softer end and ease the pressures on the global economy.