Business confidence is plunging. Retailers are slashing prices in an attempt to drum up sales. Higher energy bills have arrived amid continued anger about the means-testing of winter fuel payments to pensioners.
No question, the government’s message that times are tough and likely to get tougher is cutting through, but not perhaps in the way ministers intended. One snapshot of public opinion this week showed voters would actually prefer Rishi Sunak’s administration to the current one. Given that the Tories suffered the biggest drubbing in their history only three months ago, that’s quite an achievement.
