英国财政大臣约翰·希利近日对大型零售商发出警告，要求他们不要因中东冲突引发的能源价格上升而趁机抬高食品和燃料价格[1]。希利在周日专栏中表示，政府正在"密切关注"任何牟取暴利的迹象[1]。尽管政府保持警惕，但希利同时声称"目前没有显著证据表明存在所谓的价格欺诈"[1]。
这一表态立即招致零售商的强烈反对。英国零售商协会主席安德鲁·奥皮辩称，超市在高度竞争的市场环境中运营，已为消费者提供西欧最便宜的食品[1]。他指出，竞争监管机构已反复发现，正是零售商之间的激烈竞争而非政府政策行动使食品价格保持在最低水平[1]。零售商还批评政府应该关注自身的税收政策对通胀的影响。此前，英格兰银行曾警告伊朗战争进一步升级可能导致明年通胀率超过4%[1]。
财政大臣瑞秋·里夫斯曾提议实施食品价格上限，这一建议遭到超市老板的强烈反对，其中M&S首席执行官斯图尔特·马钦称该计划"完全荒谬"[1]。
Chancellor John Healey has cautioned major retailers against exploiting rising energy prices triggered by Middle East tensions to inflate consumer prices.[1] In a Sunday column, Healey stated that the government is "closely watching" for any signs of profiteering, though he acknowledged there is currently "no significant evidence of so-called price fraud."[1] His comments came as the Bank of England warned that a further escalation of conflict in Iran could push inflation above 4% next year.[1]
The warning has provoked sharp pushback from the retail sector. Andrew Opie, head of the British Retail Consortium, countered that supermarkets operate in a highly competitive environment and already offer some of Western Europe's cheapest food prices.[1] He argued that intense competition between retailers—rather than government intervention—has kept food prices low, citing repeated findings by the Competition and Markets Authority to support this claim.[1] This tension reflects ongoing friction between policymakers and retailers over food affordability; earlier, Finance Secretary Rachel Reeves had proposed a food price cap, an idea that supermarket bosses vehemently rejected, with M&S Chief Executive Stewart Machin calling the plan "completely ridiculous."[1]