Instead, an essentials energy guarantee would give all households a block of basic, subsidised energy, and charging high-consumption households more per unit. And under our current fiscal rules and monetary frameworks, this money is difficult for a government to access. This would cut energy bills today and reduce our exposure to the next fossil-fuel price shock. When it comes to the Treasury, fiscal policy can also be used to drive investment. Burnham’s promised 10-year plan is the opportunity to judge fiscal sustainability over the right medium-term timeframe, strengthening the case for sustained public investment and ownership rather than short-termist penny pinching.