People are under real pressure. That is understood. The frustrations we have seen in recent days did not appear overnight. They reflect something far deeper and more primal; a sense for many that everyday life has become harder, more expensive and more uncertain. We need to acknowledge that sincerely and respectfully. However, we also have a duty to be straight with people. Government does not control the price of global oil. As an island nation with an open economy, we are exposed to shocks that originate far beyond our shores. We are exposed in terms of our dependence on imported fossil fuels that are shipped to our shores from regions across the globe. We are vulnerable in terms of our supply chains and our just-in-time delivery model in the context of which our fast-moving economy expects and demands goods and ingredients to keep flowing and our society expects the delivery of everything from clean water to animal feed to medical supplies to happen at pace. We need to build resilience and safeguard those critical ports and arteries. I saw first hand two years ago the devastation as Holyhead Port was taken out by a storm. I never thought we would see that happen in a deliberate, man-made fashion. What we are doing today in response is controlling what we can control and reducing the impact with the tools available to us. The package we have announced mitigates the worst of this by cutting costs, deferring the carbon tax, cutting excise duty and providing targeted supports for targeted sectors. In fact, per capita, it is five times the size of the equivalent package in Germany. It stands out across Europe. It is also true that we must level with people that we cannot buy our way out of every problem. We have to take sustainable and repeatable steps that support everything we need to do. Within my Department, I am strengthening research, apprenticeships and education to build out the knowledge economy of the future. I am also commissioning research, through the science and research mandate, to explore options around energy mix to ensure that energy security policy can be approached from an evidence base. That is real, responsible government, providing solutions and not slogans.

Sentiment score: 0.06