Recommendation 59

With the worst yet to come, the consequences of the energy price crisis and wider cost-of-living crisis on customers, and energy suppliers, is still to be seen. The extent of these challenges cannot be dealt with by BEIS or Ofgem alone. The Prime Minister himself stated the Government’s response to this pressing situation needs to be treated with the same level of seriousness as the Covid-19 pandemic. The responsibility to deal with this crisis spans across multiple Government departments and the Government needs to galvanise the resources and expertise at its disposal. This will require ministerial leadership and a cross-departmental taskforce. We recommend that the Government urgently sets up a cross-departmental taskforce, like the Brexit taskforce, to respond to the energy price crisis and wider cost-of- living. This taskforce should meet regularly to support Ofgem and other arms of the Government to do the work necessary to provide the best possible outcomes for consumers and stabilise the energy supply market. (Paragraph 221) 84 Energy pricing and the future of the energy market