In just under a month, the energy price cap will rise to £3,549 per year. By next year, it could be £5,000, £6,000, or higher. Figures that would make lesser government departments sweat. Fortunately, not so at BEIS: today it’s their departmental sports day – held on a paid work day rather than on the weekend. Rest assured, civil servants are safely away from their desks, instead soaking in the last of the summer sunshine with all the fun and games befitting a Department charged with tackling an energy crisis. 

It seems mandarins are already aware of the bad optics. Guido hears the Department has already cooked up a few decent excuses for letting their staff do no work, including pointing out that other departments have had their own sports days already – so why should BEIS miss out on the action – and that employees happen to really enjoy being paid by the taxpayer to have fun. Managers approving days off to run around a field proves popular with staff? Stop the presses…