An abuse of power

LAYING the looming cost of living crisis squarely at Boris Johnson’s door, as the shrill Left is doing, is thoroughly disingenuous. A spike in wholesale gas prices means the whole world faces a miserable mix of huge energy bills and rocketing inflation.

Even so, No10 must devise a plan to help people keep the lights and heating on.

Keeping the Tories’ pre-Brexit promise to slash VAT on domestic fuel or slashing green taxes might be a start.

But ultimately, our predicament was not inevitable. In our headlong dash to net zero, successive governments have neglected to prioritise energy security.

Fearing the rage of the eco-lobby, we have run down nuclear – with the Hunterston B plant in Ayrshire shutting only yesterday – abandoned abundant North Sea oil and gas fields and shelved fracking.

The truth is, our energy strategy is an unholy mess and must urgently be fixed. Mr Johnson’s achievements at the Cop26 climate summit will mean zero if voters end up shivering in the dark.