Miliband has hit a nerve, admits Hammond Last week, Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, said that Mr Miliband has been "absolutely right" to identify rising energy bills as a problem. He suggested that claims by energy companies that a price cap could lead to blackouts should be taken with a "pinch of salt." Mr Hammond said today: "Miliband has hit a nerve with utility prices. The Chancellor gets this and he gets that we have to respond to that. The good news for us is that we've got a bit of time to do it, a bit of time [to] really address the challenge of domestic energy bills rather than having some spurious debate about the nature of capitalism and whether you can control economic actors. Referring to Labour's change of attack on the economy, Mr Hammond added: "Nobody doubts that Plan A is working, and nobody doubts the competence of the Tory economic managers. Miliband has very adroitly, I have to acknowledge, shifted from arguing that Plan A won't work to arguing that it will work, but it won't do you any good. We're absolutely up for this debate. We have to make the case that not only living standards will rise for ordinary hard-working people but that their wealth will be protected. I think the next 18 months will be used relentlessly by the Chancellor to ensure that we do address these issues and we win the second round of this economic argument. Mr Hammond said that the Conservatives do not have to be popular to win the next election, but must earn voters" respect. They don't have to like us, and I don't care if they don't like us, so long as they respect us as competent and able to deliver what the country needs. As long as we can convince them that our clear commitment is to a recovery that benefits everyone.