The cost-of-living crisis is already inflicting misery on families and dominated the eight-week Tory leadership contest.
But it certainly didn’t dominate Liz Truss’ victory speech as she was declared the new party chief and our next Prime Minister-in-waiting.
She grudgingly offered the “energy crisis” - the £3,549 annual cost about to be slapped on desperate households - just a dozen words out of 387 during her four minute, 43-second speech, before quickly promising to address power supply issues.
Far more prose was lavished on paying tribute to Boris Johnson, brought down by his own disgraces, and thanking her family and Conservative Party loyalists for backing her crusade for No10.
It’s also fair to say we should not expect great oratory from our looming Premier: her slightly tortured boast that Johnson is “admired from Kyiv to Carlisle” left even this audience of Tory activists unsure when they were to applaud.
Truss’ pledge that “we will deliver, we will deliver, we will deliver” made her sound less like a stateswoman and more like a new parcel service ad.
Before beaming Truss and her vanquished rival Rishi Sunak - the candidates had been told the result backstage, moments before it became official - entered the auditorium, expectant MPs who have thrown in their lots with the Foreign Secretary began to assemble on the auditorium side lines, excitedly discussing their summers - and probably the jobs they want in her government.
Less than 14 minutes after the ceremony began with a speech from party chairman Andrew Stephenson followed by Tory grandee Sir Graham Brady announcing the result, it was over.
Outside the QEII Conference Centre behind Parliament Square, Truss’ now bolstered convoy of police motorcycle outriders and support cars containing her protection officers mustered to whisk her away on a blue-light escort - just yards from the back entrance to Downing Street where, inside No10, doomed Johnson was quietly spending his last hours with aides and officials.
Power comes - and power goes.
