The Treasury has come under fire for using their official social media account to promote the Conservatives’ political message this morning.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the formal account for His Majesty’s Treasury posted: “Inflation is now 2.3%. Let’s stick to the plan.”
It was accompanied by a gif where the previous 3.2% inflation rate was scribbled out and replaced with 2.3%.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has just announced that inflation dropped, meaning it is close to the Bank of England’s 2% target.
But, the “let’s stick to the plan” slogan comes from the Conservative campaign.
In response to the inflation drop this morning, prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “This is proof that the plan is working and that the difficult decisions we have taken are paying off.
“Brighter days are ahead, but only if we stick to the plan to improve economic security and opportunity for everyone.”
The government has been repeating this phrase about a plan for months, in an effort to sell Sunak’s “long-term” vision for the country.
However, it’s worth remembering the government is not actually responsible for inflation – it only sets the target.
The Bank of England is responsible for price rises, and it controls that through interest rates.
The government was also keen to separate itself from inflation when it reached a 40-year high of 11.1% in October 2022.
And, like all official government departments, the Treasury is meant to be apolitical.
Civil servants are not meant to show any political allegiance, otherwise there could be criticism that public resources are used to promote party politics.
So, as you can image, people on X were less than impressed with this latest message from a government department...