In the weeks before a pivotal Budget, Britain's trade union leader Paul Nowak has placed a quiet but pointed question before Prime Minister Andy Burnham: who should bear the cost of keeping homes warm this winter? By proposing a restoration of the bank surcharge to fund income-scaled energy discounts, Nowak is asking the government to choose between the comfort of financial institutions and the comfort of ordinary households — a choice that has defined the fault lines of British political economy for generations.