The Chancellor yesterday underwhelmed with her limited package of measures and he assurance she had plans for the cost of living too secret to reveal.
She announced action by the Competition authorities against price gouging. That will require proof that it is happening first.Tax and world prices are the main reasons oil and oil products are so dear.
She will fail to cut fuel duty, VAT or energy taxes. She did say she will look at removing some tariffs on food which could be helpful.
There was nothing on high interest rates, high spending or high borrowing.These could cause serious problems ahead.
There was one good idea, some cuts in tariffs on food from outside the EU. Why has she not thought through which ones. When will she tell us and actually cut some food prices ?
March 25, 2026
Good morning.
Let us hope today’s submission gets posted 😉
Price gouging occurs when the consumer has little or no choice. Whilst I believe that EV’s are of limited use, especially for long journeys, they were a very good competitor to petrol and diesel fuel. By creating competition prices can be kept down and price gouging practically irradicated. By keeping prices down inflation can be held in check. Such lack of joined up thinking typifies government, especially when the Chancer of the Exchequer brings in her own form of gouging the consumer / driver with Pence per Mile charges.
March 25, 2026
Increasing prices and inflation are different things.
The Chancellor needs to tackle inflation.
March 25, 2026
Indeed Lynn. It would be a poor business that didn’t increase prices due to scarcity. There is a significant time lag in oil delivery as it takes about 4 weeks for tankers to reach the UK from the middle east. We could of course be helping alleviate the problem had we kept drilling in the North Sea but the uniparty stopped this with ruinous taxes and legislation to prevent it. You reap what you sow.
As for removing VAT from energy, for he umpteenth time, we would need Brussels permission as it would affect Northern Ireland so exposing the lie that we left the EU.
March 25, 2026
We need to remove the VAT, we then supply NI by some other means VAT free. Think of how the EU would do it, redefine the word for energy.
March 25, 2026
Prices are not increasing much measured against gold or oil or silver, copper, steel… but measured bu the devaluing £1 they are. The main causes of price rises is this deliberate debasement of the £ sterling and increase NI, taxes, minimum wage, net zero, red tape in short the government. All these force companies to increase their prices or go bust!
Reply Gold has just taken a tumble so prices in gold have just risen sharply.
March 25, 2026
True depends on the time scale.
Between 1999 and 2002, then-Chancellor Gordon Brown sold 395–401 tonnes of UK gold reserves at an average price of approximately US$275–$276 per ounce. The auctions occurred at a 20-year low in the gold market, drawing criticism for poor timing and for announcing the sale in advance. What a genious the not so prudent dope was! Plus he kindly wrecked pension too (unless you worked for the state sector).
The current price is about $4,500 so it has appreciated in $ terms by 12% PA for 25 years. If only Brown, Cameron, Osborne, May, Hammons, Boris, Sunak and Hunt had done as well for the economy!
March 25, 2026
12% compound that is over 25 year. Often tax free even legally so sometimes!
March 25, 2026
@Mark B – This Parliament with its chosen Government doesn’t do competition, they loath the very thought of it. The EU control of all is a must and the only thing to keep markets growing just as they are in the rest of the EU
March 25, 2026
All losers hate competition. They know they will never win.
March 25, 2026
“She announced action by the Competition authorities against price gouging.”
How will she define this gouging. The main souce of gouging and delivering little of real value back is the Government, The main unfair competition is also caused by government and their rigged markets. This in transport, healthcare, schools, universities, energy, banking… why do the “Competition Authorities” never look at these areas of blatant unfair competition from the state start perhaps with Schools state ones free private ones you pay for four times over and Health Care likewise where IPT tax at 12% replaces 29% VAT.
Poor old Jacob Rees-Mogg with his six children (five boys and a girl is it?). Perhaps he should some them to the local comp. at an experiment. I am sure they would come out just fine with the sensible parents they have anyway. The six must cost something like £1 million of his income before tax just for school fees now with VAT on top. So the government gets perhaps £600K in tax, NI, VAT and the shools say £400K in fees! Or if they even to state schools all is free. If that is not unfair competition I am a banana as Hislop might put it.
Legal Fees and the court systems are also a total racket very often.
March 25, 2026
Richard the third look alike “Reeves” like the rest of the motley crew called liebour shouldn’t be allowed to run a bath let alone a country as normal the middle class will be footing the bill to help keep the workshy feckless down the pub and burger joints pissing our taxes down the drain, General strike now or something to get this anti British mob out of power
March 25, 2026
All she did was waffle on about the ‘previous Tory Government’. How long will she blame them.! Otherwise there was no detail. We have learned in the past that ‘targeted support’ means help for those on benefits – again. The rest of us are expected to pay up, and shut up!
March 25, 2026
Too often those on benefits are protected from income/spending pressure. It is those on low incomes, inability to meet rising costs that need to be identified and assisted. Just how does Rachel (definately from Complaints) intend to do that?
March 25, 2026
She likes to blame Truss but she was the only one with a pro growth agenda her policies never took effect she was taken out by the BOE and Sunak groupies,
Spending £ 600bn on mad lockdowns and unsafe and ineffective “vaccines” and even more on net zero and open door to low skilled immigrants did not help Cameron. May, Boris Sunak did it!
March 25, 2026
Key points from Ed Miliband recent statements include:
“Plug-in” Solar Initiative: Miliband announced that easy-to-install solar panels will be available for purchase at supermarkets in the coming months, intended for use on balconies or in gardens to reduce household bills.
Renewables Auction Acceleration: The government is bringing forward the next annual renewables auction to July to speed up the transition to domestic clean energy.
North Sea Drilling Stance: Miliband faced pressure to increase North Sea oil and gas production following the Iran war impacting global supplies. He stated in the House of Commons that “Anyone who tells you that new licences in the North Sea will make any difference to price is not telling you the truth”. (it is you Ed who are not telling the truth why else are USA private 25% of ours?}
Opposition Response: The Conservatives and some industry figures criticized this stance, arguing that refusing to open new fields reduces energy security and harms the economy, with Claire Coutinho calling his approach “flat out wrong”.
Warm Homes Plan: He confirmed that local mayors will receive devolved funding to upgrade homes with insulation and heat pumps. (heat pumps are not an upgrade and they will mainly be powered by gas anyway as not low carbon fuels in winter for them)
Ed either wants to destroy the UKs economy and its ability to defend itself or he is clearly totally insane.
Wind and Solar deliver about 7-8% of our total energy after adjusting for the fosil fuel energy they use and cause to be used in back up, maintenance, construction of collectors more like 5%. In winter when demand is more and there is virtually no solar so more like 3%. Yet mad miliband (and his “experts”) really thing these vastly subsidised wind farms and heat pumps are the way to go?
March 25, 2026
In my opinion, Red Ed is buying his next (highly lucrative) career in the Globalist Eco Quangocracy …. with our money and our energy security.
Just like Alok Sharma did.
March 25, 2026
New evidence from Antarctica ice cores showing no link between CO2 and temperature over the last three million years has stumped Net Zero activists, says Chris Morrison.
March 25, 2026
We have know for a long time that the World has had ice ages with CO2 levels far higher than current levels. CO2 just one of many thousands of factors that affect the climate.
March 25, 2026
indeed – Scrap Net Zero: Dramatic New Ice Core Evidence Shows Current Century Warming Common Throughout the Last 400,000 Years
BY CHRIS MORRISON
March 25, 2026
We appear to be re-living the 1970s – but starting from a far worse position. Sadly, when I looked in the mirror this morning the face looking back at me hadn’t also reverted to its appearance in the 1970s.
I’m just waiting for Two-Tier to stand at the Dispatch Box, with the country collapsing around our ears, and say “Crisis, what crisis?”
On the plus side, and as a precaution, I picked up a very large candle in a charity shop yesterday for just £2. So the sheeple still haven’t worked out what’s coming.
March 25, 2026
We could soon be back to the early 40’s Donna. I’ve found the recent video of the Shahed hitting the monastery in Lviv strangely disturbing. We’ve seen many drone strikes on the news before but this was different. I think it was a combination of the buzzsaw engine sound and the very clear shot of it’s descent over rooftops. It reminded me of Mum’s description of DoddleBugs when the engine stopped and she knew it would explode nearby. All of my family had stories about the Blitz (and I played in the bombsites) but it’s all forgotten now of course.
March 25, 2026
Again on the plus side, at least I won’t have to be evacuated at age 4 like my mother was 🙂
March 25, 2026
Doodle bugs were not aimed, they came down pretty randomly. Current warfare is far safer because of the precision of incoming missiles. It’s the anti-Missile missiles that come down randomly, and two go up to intercept each incoming.
Israel seems to have resolved this by using lazers and intercepting in space.
I must say that I had genuinely not appreciated how war pushes innovation at the speed of light. I’m watching in real time as two very different wars are prosecuted, Ukraine/Russia is a war of attrition, the Islamic Republic/USA&Israel is far more sophisticated and protects the civilian population in unprecedented ways. Individual targets are struck in a crowd with inch perfect precision. 4 Badij individuals were targeted through a hotel bedroom window – the rest of the hotel untouched.
March 25, 2026
Battery LED lights are rather better than Tallow candles now and safer, portable and directional. At least some tech has got rather better. Or use your phone torch.
March 25, 2026
Agree Donna
March 25, 2026
The government claims to be against making money from increased fuel prices but they are benefiting because fuel VAT is a percentage of cost, so as the price goes up the Chancellor gets more tax. I doubt that we can look forward to Reeves announcing a revenue neutral cut in VAT to offset the higher fuel costs.
March 25, 2026
She is hoping the war with Iran will be over soon, is aligned with Ed Miliband and believes the adoption of EU rules and standards will bring economic growth.
We have to accept that the chancellor and cabinet have a very different perception of reality than most readers of this site. Only economic collapse might bring essential change.
March 25, 2026
MPC. I fear economic collapse will be the only route to rid us of these people. At 5% the Bond Vigilantes must be getting to the end of their collective tether. Let’s hope they strike soon.
March 25, 2026
Economic collapse would be a very damaging way of correcting the economy. Even if the bond market is closed, I wouldn’t put it past the Labour backbenchers to vote for money-printing. That’s got to be a preferable outcome compared to a general election in their minds.
March 25, 2026
Reeves was in deep trouble before this major shock to the world economy, which will just accelerate events. All we can do is sit in the back of the car and watch as we are driven over the cliff…
March 25, 2026
“Targeted support” i.e. for benefits recipients and immigrants nothing for the taxpayer who is supporting this largesse.
Any assistance should be universal up to a certain usage or non-existent.
The first action that Labour should take is to decouple renewable prices from that of gas generation. Then they should renegotiate renewable contracts down and simultaneously remove green taxes from our bills. The other action they could take to help everyone and to concentrate minds on the price of gas and electricity is to remove the levy that we pay in our bills to support those who won’t pay their bills. Put them on pay as they go meters but give them the same capped tariff that other who don’t fix get.
Help for all bar the renewable grifters.
Reply New renewable contracts are dearer than electricity from gas
March 25, 2026
She is totally out of her depth. Rachel and Milliband are going to bring country to its knees.
March 25, 2026
The statement to the house from Reeved did not disappoint. Only those who imagined she would say something positive were disappointed. The rest of us, the realists knew what she would not be saying and we were not disappointed…. Our opinion of Reeves was simply endorsed.
March 25, 2026
No matter how this Iran conflict ends, Reeves will be milking it for a long time to come. She of course needs all the excuses she can find to justify her huge failings.
She’s still bleeding Brexit dry, but now she will be able to add a big ‘and’ to her rationale to show how right she is.
March 25, 2026
Oil and gas prices, the Governments tax take is also rising, it takes more than any other entity takes in turnover let alone profit.
Part of the ‘Plan’ 2TK’s destruction of the UK and its people with majority support form Parliament
March 25, 2026
They bank on a placid population.
March 25, 2026
Price gouging? (putting essential goods etc to unreasonably high levels during or after an emergency, crisis, or natural disaster).
Who is more guilty that this government with their tax increases and frozen allowances during a crisis caused by their own mismanagement and incompetence?
March 25, 2026
Rachel Reeves is a highly productive Waster.
March 25, 2026
Sir John, you are in for a long wait. And so are we.This shower, this ragbag of miscellaneous communists, Fabians and hard left socialists united only by hatred of Britain and its foundations, will not go unitl forced.
March 25, 2026
I suggest we ask Musk to recover the emails between McSweeny and Mandelson.
Will take 8 seconds of his time.
That might do it.
March 25, 2026
Labour have no vison other than to hamstring the UK economy by tying it to the EU, maintain and increase welfare spending, while spendiing as little as possible on defence.
Who would have believed they would be such a shambles?
Starmer and Reeves are both out of their depth and incompetent. Miliband is a dangerous lunatic who lives in a bubble and cannot see what is happening in the real world. Cooper and Lammy would never get a decent job outside of politics.
We need an air defence system now, costing £10 billion. Shut down UKRI, an utterly useless Quango, which spent £9.9 billion last year and we can afford it! But that is too simple for the sour blockheads in labour.
March 25, 2026
XXX ‘illegal immigrants’ invaded the UK yesterday 24th March 2026 …
As at 2pm still awaiting govt website updated data
March 25, 2026
As at 6:30pm still no update …..why it takes over 24hrs to count a small number of people in one building is beyond me !
March 25, 2026
10pm nothing
March 25, 2026
The state of play. The UK has sent HMS Dragon to the Mediterranean. The German Ema bassy in London notes(tweets) as a sign of cooperation the German Navy will take over the Royal Navys in Nato as the RN has no serviceable ships
March 25, 2026
…but we win with the highest number of Admirals & Flag Officers 134
March 25, 2026
Looking at the Installation of the new Archbishop of Canterbury I am convinced more than ever that this is all to do with showmanship rather than Christianity and then looking at the number of priests in the background I’m left wondering about the cost of it all.
March 25, 2026
There is staggeringly good news from Denmark. Far from disappointing, like the Labour Government, their election result is heartening for all of Europe.
Mr. Messerschmidt’s Danish People’s Party quadrupled its vote share in the elections, defying all the polls.
The party openly demands remigration and de-Islamization. It calls for:
– The establishment of a Ministry of Repatriation.
– A halt to remittances.
– A ban on foreign funding of religious associations.
– A ban on the muezzin’s call to prayer and on halal products.
– The closure of Islamic private schools.
An important step forward on the road to reclaiming Europe for the Europeans.
There is one Party in the U.K. promising the same agenda. It’s our last chance.
March 25, 2026
Agree
March 25, 2026
Reeves ……. Disappoints: In recent weeks she & the rest have talked of the EU Reset bringing a glittering prize, biggest prize and ” where the magic happens” Food wise they are plugging the line we’ll have more choice and lower prices in the shops. Has she shopped in the EU … ) The EU already earns a £31bn surplus from its food & drinks trade with the UK and are set to increase that further. ( Article by Facts4eu 10/3/26 ‘ Revealed: All you eat and drink to be regulated by the EU ‘ ) H M Government continuing as always with little detail and transparency as to what they are doing. They are in a rush to push things through & avoid scrutiny and assume public disinterest. Yes, there is that but the rest should do what what we can to hold this shower to account. There was some ‘tough talk’ from somebody I recall stating that in order to meet some of the EU’s demands ( e.g. youth movement & other concessions and exceptions) the EU had to offer something ” very big” in return….
Interested to read news from Sir Bill Cash on the UK Sovereignty Foundation website and a good recap of Brexit past, and commentary by Jim Allister KC MP – ” The EU Reset: How the Reset is both ‘using’ and betraying our United Kingdom “
March 25, 2026
From the DT, in answer to PM questions
‘Sir Keir Starmer has said it is Ed Miliband’s decision whether Britain drills for oil and gas in the North Sea.
The Prime Minister claimed he had no power to approve more licences and insisted that the final call lay with the Energy Secretary.’
‘At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservatives, said that Sir Keir could make the decision today and accused him of “hiding behind” Mr Miliband.
Critics have already claimed that Mr Miliband wields too much power over the Prime Minister after he successfully led opposition to the UK allowing the US to strike Iran from British bases.’
A joke leader of a joke party in a joke of a parliament. Keeping the UK and its people safe & secure?
March 25, 2026
So whats the point of PMQs if individual ministers hold ALL the power & decision making ?
March 25, 2026
This is a blessing for Labour
they can now blame Trump and the war for the disasters happening in the country coused by this government
The same as now taking undemocratil
78 laws back from the EU for Britain to abide by
they will now be able to blame the EU laws for their failures.