Chancellor branded 'Mr Bean' for inflation video

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been criticised and compared to Mr Bean implicit a societal media video successful which helium uses java cups to explicate inflation.

In the video, Mr Hunt orders a level achromatic earlier explaining what helium is doing to tackle rising prices.

He says a cupful of java a twelvemonth agone was astir £2.50, but is present £3. He past sets retired the reasons for precocious inflation, specified arsenic the warfare successful Ukraine.

Both Labour and Liberal Democrats criticised the chancellor's video.

Sarah Olney, the Lib Dems' Treasury spokesperson, said the "last thing" families needed was a "Mr Bean-esque video" from the Conservative party.

"What's adjacent much shocking is that Jeremy Hunt airbrushed 1 of the main causes of economical symptom - Liz Truss' disastrous mini-budget that resulted successful the biggest taxation hike for a generation," she added.

"How is that expected to assistance Britain with inflation?"

A Labour root added: "The chancellors 'not maine guv' explainer misses retired the cardinal information that the British nationalist person been truthful exposed to economical shocks and the vigor situation due to the fact that of 13 years of Tory failure."

The Treasury has been contacted by the BBC for comment.

In the video, posted connected aboriginal Wednesday, Mr Hunt explains determination are "lots of reasons" ostentation has gone up, citing Covid, and the warfare successful Ukraine pushing up nutrient and vigor prices.

"All that means is the terms of a cupful of java has gone up," helium adds.

Mr Hunt says the authorities is investing successful renewable and atomic vigor and vigor businesslike programmes arsenic good arsenic taking "difficult decisions to equilibrium the nation's books" to "halve inflation".

"That's what's happening, and that's our plan", helium adds.

In effect to the clip, Fraser Nelson, exertion of the Spectator magazine, tweeted: "I wonderment if Hunt explains that a Chancellor has nary existent powerfulness implicit ostentation - and that it's expected to halve successful France, Germany, US, Canada, Israel & more.

"None of whose concern ministers are trying to instrumentality recognition for this planetary trends."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to halve ostentation this twelvemonth but galore forecasters person predicted this volition hap arsenic the outgo of vigor falls.

Another idiosyncratic responded: "Who makes these? The script, camera angles, editing and adjacent lens choices travel unneurotic to make a condescending, mid-20th-century didactic tone."

The video was released aft the latest ostentation figures were released aboriginal connected Wednesday.

Inflation, which measures the complaint of terms rises, fell to 10.5% successful the twelvemonth to December from 10.7% successful November.

Although terms rises slowed for a 2nd period successful a row, the outgo of nutrient including milk, food and eggs kept ostentation astatine a 40-year high.