This week's MP's column comes from Philip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley

THERE is much in politics at the moment which is uncertain – including the fate of the Prime Minister.

However, one thing that is certain is that we are facing a cost of living crisis and a Conservative approach is needed to solve it and avoid it becoming even worse.

There are a number of driving forces to the cost of living issue and they have all come together to create the perfect storm.

One obvious issue is that energy prices are going through the roof. A huge global demand as the world comes out of lockdowns, has pushed the cost of gas up worldwide.

Energy prices are also higher than they need be as a result of successive Government’s climate change interventions.

The Government should be doing everything in its power to reduce the cost of energy. A good place to start would be abolishing VAT on domestic fuel – something for which I have been arguing. This has only become possible by leaving the EU and we should make the most of this Brexit dividend.

Then there is the issue of the mad, futile rush to net zero – which is only going to make matters worse. Rather than going for the greenest energy, we should be sourcing the cheapest energy to ensure people can pay their bills.

The UK is responsible for less than one per cent of carbon emissions. Even if we were to reduce that to 0 per cent it would make no difference to global temperatures given countries like China and India will be increasing their emissions each year by more than our entire total. However, what it will make a big difference to is the size of people’s energy bills.

Also, policies that make us import more of our gas from abroad do not cut the world output of CO2, but they do make sure that prices are likely to be higher.

They also deprive us of the benefit of the jobs and revenue that these industries create.

How those that consider themselves to be on the left in politics can ever support environmental levies and the rush to net zero – which often hurt the poorest the most in terms of lost jobs and increased living costs – is beyond me, especially as renewable energy is the biggest transfer of wealth we have seen in generations from poor to rich.

Poor people are having to pay more money on their heating bills in order to provide huge subsidies to massive landowners for their solar panel farms and wind farms.
We also need to be getting more money into people’s pockets.

As a Conservative, the best way to do this is by cutting taxes. Yet we are currently facing the highest tax burden in over 70 years, and the proposed increase in April of National Insurance Contributions is totally indefensible, hitting the hard pressed families and businesses again.

One of the main causes of the spike in inflation is the lockdowns we have experienced.

Every country coming out of lockdown at a similar time has seen a huge global increase in demand with supply chains still damaged by being mothballed. The cost of containers bringing in products from abroad has spiralled out of control and we are all paying for it through higher prices.

Throughout the pandemic, everyone talked about the cost of not locking down. But the flip side did not seem to receive much attention.

As I have said many times, there are many costs to locking down the country – both monetary and otherwise – costs which we are now paying.

I am afraid that those who were most in favour of locking down the world’s economy cannot escape the inevitable consequence of that – which is much higher inflation when the lockdown ended, also fuelled by the Government printing so much money to pay for locking down the country for so long.

As demand continues to outstrip supply, prices will stay high and the current rates of inflation are likely to remain for some time.

If all that wasn’t bad enough, some of the Government’s other moves – such as the nanny state plans to scrap special offers like ‘Buy One Get One Free’ deals on products the Department of Health consider to be unhealthy – are just another kick in the teeth.

It is estimated that this stupid policy alone – which will affect up to 40 per cent of products on the supermarket shelves - will push up household food bills by 11 per cent at a time when people need these offers most. How any Conservative government can propose such an idiotic socialist policy is beyond me.

It should be obvious to anyone that it isn’t products that are unhealthy, it is diets that are unhealthy.

Again last week I urged the Prime Minister to reconsider his position and consign this policy to the waste bin.

By far the biggest political issue this year – whoever is Prime Minister – is inflation and the cost of living.

Only by rediscovering the true Conservative principles set out here will the Government has any chance of helping people through it.