“A little party never killed nobody,” sang Fergie in Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, The Great Gatsby. The novel depicts the extravagant, illegal cocktail parties hosted by the wealthy Jay Gatsby during the Prohibition era when much of the US population battled to make it through to the end of each day.
Fast-forward 100 years, and we could be back in 1922, except that the alleged lockdown-breaching parties held in Downing Street, at a time when the public was complying with the order to stay at home, could, potentially, lead to thousands of excess winter deaths among households struggling to survive on a low fixed income.
The UK is facing the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. Yet, the government’s focus is not where it should be, which is coming up with solutions to offset the impact of rising food and fuel prices on hard-pressed households. But it can’t because it is too busy putting out fires started by a prime minister enmeshed in allegations, intrigues and revelations.
Rather than act with urgency to ensure that the financially vulnerable can meet their household bills, the current administration prefers to spend taxpayers’ money on reports examining the conduct of a prime minister who is renowned for his disdain for rules. It is also happy to write off £8.7 billion spent on lost, unusable or overpriced PPE. This is on top of its write-off of the £4.3bn spent on fraudulently obtained Covid loans.
This colossal mismanagement of public funds could have been put to better use by, say, giving £1,000 to every low-income household to help them meet their fuel bills, which are set to triple by the end of the year. The measure would cost the government less than the £13.5bn it wasted on the write-downs at the start of this year.
Many people have been forced to confine themselves to one room because they cannot afford to heat more rooms in their home. This situation could be swiftly remedied with appropriate government intervention. Instead, its £200 repayable fuel discount won’t touch the sides when it arrives in October, six months after the £693 hike to the energy price cap. Meanwhile the £150 council tax rebate works out at a mere £2.88 a week. This will not cover the cost of buying groceries when food prices are rising at their fastest pace in nearly 30 years.
One can only conclude from the Conservatives’ actions over the past two years that keeping the public safe during a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and tackling the cost-of-living crisis by providing real help to those who need it are the last things on their minds.
