Whoever emerges victorious will inherit an economy heading into a potentially lengthy recession and will need to jump straight into tackling the cost-of-living crisis walloping the UK.

Thanks to global gas price volatility triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the average UK household energy bill is jumping to more than 3,500 pounds ($4,000) a year – almost triple the level a year ago.

Inflation is above 10 percent for the first time since the 1980s. The government is facing increasingly urgent calls to deliver financial support to help millions pay for essential heating and electricity to get through the winter.

The opposition Labour Party and other critics accuse the government of being “missing in action” during a summer of discontent that saw tens of thousands of rail staff, port and postal workers, lawyers and garbage collectors go on strike to demand better pay to keep up with spiralling costs.