Jeremy Hunt, aka Mr Bean, is talking sense about renewable energy's role in tackling cost of living crisis – Scotsman comment

There is definitely more than a hint of Mr Bean as Jeremy Hunt walks up to order a flat white coffee in a new video about the government’s plans to tackle inflation.

It’s likely this was just bad acting, rather than a deliberate strategy, but the suggestion from the Lib Dems that it was “Mr Bean-esque” will almost certainly have driven many of the Treasury tweet’s 1.7 million views as of yesterday. Who doesn’t want to see a politician making a bit of a fool of themselves?

But while laughing at the Chancellor’s slight awkwardness, people will have also listened to the message. The Conservatives’ track record on renewable energy is poor – many now rue David Cameron’s decision to “cut the green crap” – and recent decisions to issue new licences for oil and gas exploration have faced much criticism.

However, in the video, Hunt says: “We’re investing a lot of money in renewable and nuclear power so that our energy prices aren’t at the whim of the international gas markets. We’re investing a lot in a national energy-efficiency programme so we use less energy and help prevent climate change.”

This, along with balancing the nation’s books as Liz Truss infamously failed to do, is the UK Government’s plan to cut inflation. His words add weight to arguments that moving towards net-zero carbon emissions is not only vital to prevent global warming from getting out of hand, but key to building a strong, future-proof economy, resilient to global forces outwith our control.

So Mr Bean is talking sense. Let’s just hope his actions are serious and competent. This is no time for comedic pratfalls.