James Lawless: We Must Build Resilience Against Global Shocks
James Lawless explains why government cannot control global oil prices and sets out practical steps to reduce the impact on households and businesses. He outlines cost-cutting measures, a deferred carbon tax, targeted supports, and longer-term investments in research and apprenticeships to strengthen energy security and resilience.
James Lawless describes the package announced to mitigate the worst effects: cutting costs, deferring the carbon tax, lowering excise duties and providing targeted supports to vulnerable sectors. He says these measures reduce hardship now while recognising limits on what government can control.
Lawless argues the economy is exposed as an island and an open market, vulnerable to global shocks and fragile just-in-time supply chains. He stresses the need to safeguard critical ports and supply arteries and to approach energy security with evidence-based policy.
Within his department Lawless outlines steps to strengthen research, apprenticeships and education to build the knowledge economy. He says he is commissioning research on energy mix options so energy security can be approached on an evidence basis rather than through slogans.
He notes that, per capita, the package is five times the equivalent package in Germany, while emphasising that government cannot simply buy its way out of every problem. Lawless frames his approach as pragmatic and repeatable: sustainable steps to support daily life and protect supply chains.
Immediate measures to ease pressure
James Lawless describes the package announced to mitigate the worst effects: cutting costs, deferring the carbon tax, lowering excise duties and providing targeted supports to vulnerable sectors. He says these measures reduce hardship now while recognising limits on what government can control.
Exposure and the case for resilience
Lawless argues the economy is exposed as an island and an open market, vulnerable to global shocks and fragile just-in-time supply chains. He stresses the need to safeguard critical ports and supply arteries and to approach energy security with evidence-based policy.
Long-term investments and evidence-based policy
Within his department Lawless outlines steps to strengthen research, apprenticeships and education to build the knowledge economy. He says he is commissioning research on energy mix options so energy security can be approached on an evidence basis rather than through slogans.
Comparative context and accountability
He notes that, per capita, the package is five times the equivalent package in Germany, while emphasising that government cannot simply buy its way out of every problem. Lawless frames his approach as pragmatic and repeatable: sustainable steps to support daily life and protect supply chains.
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Transcript
People are under a real pressure and that is understood and the frustrations we have seen in recent days did not appear overnight. They reflect something far deeper, more primal. A sense for many that everyday life has become harder, more expensive and more uncertain and 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. We are exposed as an island, an open economy with shocks that originate far beyond our shores. We are exposed in terms of our dependence on imported fossil fuels shipped to our shores from regions far beyond around the globe and we are vulnerable in terms of our supply chains, our just-in-time delivery model where a fast-moving economy expects and demands goods and ingredients to keep flowing and no more than our society with everything from clean water to animal feed to medical supplies operating and moving at pace. We need to build resilience and we need to safeguard those critical ports and arteries. I saw first-hand two years ago the devastation that Hollyhead had been taken up by a storm and never thought we'd see that done in a deliberate man-made fashion. What we are doing today in response is controlling what we can control, reducing the impact with the tools available to us and the package that we have announced mitigates the worst of this, cutting costs, deferring the carbon tax, cutting excise duties and targeted supports to targeted sectors. In fact per capita it is five times the equivalent package in Germany. It stands out across Europe but it is also true to say that we have to level with people that we cannot buy our way out of every problem. We have to take sustainable steps, repeatable steps that support everything that we need to do. Within my department I'm strengthening research, apprenticeships, education to build out the knowledge economy of the future and I'm also commissioning research to the science and research mandate to explore options around energy mix and ensure that energy security is something that can be approached evidence-based policy. That is really responsible government providing solutions not slogans.