Back in March, just a few weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Liz Truss’s future chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng became one of the first cabinet ministers to acknowledge bluntly the costs of the conflict for consumers at home.
“People are willing to endure hardships in solidarity with the heroic efforts that the people of Ukraine are making,” he told MPs. “People understand this in this country, because we’re a generous and giving country.”