“Of course I want the Labor Party to go further. Now is an opportunity to show real leadership by supporting the unions on the front lines of this fight. We should show solidarity with workers who are fighting for higher wages, we should make this argument around ending food poverty.” Diane Abbott, the former shadow home secretary, shared a wanted poster of Sir Keir, which was circulated by left-wing campaigners on social media. “Have you seen this man? Missing during cost of living crisis’ it read, next to a black and white photo of the Labor leader. Another Labor MP said: “Where the hell are they? Where is our leader? It’s very strange. What the hell is he doing? By doing this Gordon made it quite difficult for the leadership to keep quiet, but it’s scary how quiet they were.” In a column this week, Mr Brown insisted that “crisis don’t take holidays” as he urged action on the cost of living. Writing in the Guardian, he said: “Time and tide wait for no one. Not even the crises. They don’t take holidays and they don’t politely stick to the fire – they certainly don’t suit the convenience of an outgoing prime minister and the whims of two potential successors and members of the Conservative party.” On Thursday night, 22 MPs and Labor Left peers wrote to Sir Keir, as well as Boris Johnson, calling for Parliament to be recalled. Among the signatories were Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labor leader, and John McDonnell, his shadow chancellor. Mr Reid rejected suggestions that Mr Brown was now effectively in charge of the party and dismissed his renationalisation proposal as too costly. Instead, Labor will spend £113m raised from the windfall tax to scrap the higher energy price cap for pre-paid meters, refunding suppliers the difference. Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, said the party would also take “wider action to help people manage their bills over the winter”, saying the Conservatives had “lost control of the economy and have nothing to offer”.
