It was surprising how normal things felt in Parliament this week, considering the horrific events just before.
At about the time when the Public Accounts Committee was due to start grilling environment department civil servants about carbon capture and storage, Khalid Masood embarked on his brief but murderous rampage.
The first terrorist attack on Parliament in a generation understandably hijacked the news agenda in the subsequent days. However, just like at Westminster itself, normal service has resumed fast with Wednesday’s tabling of the Article 50 notice to withdraw from the EU.
However, Theresa May doesn’t want her government to be seen as only capable of performing Brexit – which is where energy prices come in.
In her speech at the Tory spring conference a fortnight ago, the prime minister revealed she is planning to “go further” than relying on customers switching suppliers to sidestep costly standard variable tariffs (SVTs).
May’s bid to channel the spirit of Ed Miliband circa 2013 looked like an attempt to recapture the political initiative following her government’s humiliating volte face over National Insurance contribution increases.
Her speech sparked speculation that the government may rush out plans to crack down on SVTs. But this seems unlikely, given how May has disavowed her predecessor David Cameron’s habit of making up policy on the hoof.
Let’s wait for the upcoming consumer green paper for something properly thought through.