In British politics, the summer months are known as the silly season. Parliament goes into recess in early July and does not return until the first week of September. With official politics on pause, the media seizes on the ephemeral and ridiculous to fill the column inches.

This year, while Westminster went on holiday politics did not. The one story that has absolutely dominated the summer has been the cost-of-living crisis. Low inflation, an objective zealously pursued by all governments since 1979, has slipped from policymakers’ control. In August it reached 10.1 percent, with some forecasters predicting it could go as high as 22 percent by early next year.

A major contributor to the crisis has been the Europe-wide energy price spiral — sparked by the war in Ukraine and exacerbated by government and private energy providers failing to invest in generation and storage while shuttering old power plants and bulldozing gas storage facilities. As a result, energy bills have been rapidly rising since this spring. Bills for an average two-three bedroom household have shot up: from £1,200/year last year to £1,971 now to a projected £3,549 in October, with some suggestions it could reach £6,000 in January. After a decade of flatlining wages, many millions of people simply won’t be able to heat their homes this winter — unless the government steps in.