Tories try to salvage their reputation on cost of living ahead of local elections

Boris Johnson wants you to know that he is really concerned about the cost-of-living crisis. He and senior ministers will meet this morning to discuss how to respond to the worsening situation. A readout pre-briefed to journalists reveals that the Prime Minister will urge his colleague to “do everything possible” to help with rising costs and emphasise that it is “up to all of us to make sure that help is reaching the hardest-hit and hard-working families across the country”. Interestingly, while Johnson is expected to tell ministers to “double down on exploring innovative ways” to help those in need, he will also encourage them to promote the “support that is available but not widely taken up”, such as tax-free childcare and pension credit. Johnson will also call on ministers to respond to the crisis “without solely relying on new government spend”.

Given this emphasis on existing policies and seeking out “non-fiscal measures” to respond to the crisis, it appears that the policy interventions necessary to address rising costs are not immediately forthcoming. Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh told Sky News this morning that there is “much more” ministers could be doing to help but argued that the “sorry state” the government is currently in is undermining its ability to respond. That the Prime Minister’s comments were so extensively briefed to the press prior to the meeting backs up Haigh’s assessment that the government is not entirely focused on the cost of living.

Almost 90% of British households reported an increase in their cost of living last month. With the local elections just nine days away – and postal ballots already going/gone through letterboxes – the issue has obvious electoral significance. The Chancellor’s Spring Statement was widely panned for failing to sufficiently respond to rising costs – and the government continues to be on the back foot. Today’s meeting seems to be an attempt not just to distract from the various negative news stories currently circulating about the Tories, but also to appear to be doing something about the cost of living just as people begin to vote: an attempt to salvage the Tories’ reputation to soften the potential blow.

On LabourList today, we have a piece from councillor Mete Coban on how Hackney Labour is leading the way in the fight against the climate crisis. Keeping up the local government theme, we also have an article from former councillor Mark Williams on Conservative policy towards council housing. Sign up to LabourList’s morning email for everything Labour, every weekday morning.