This is who people really want as the next prime minister

Ask any random group of British people who they would like to be prime minister or chancellor and I have a pretty good idea of the name that will be mentioned first, or very close to it. It’s definitely not Rishi, nor Liz. It’s also not going to be Penny. It’s not Boris either – and nor, for that matter, is it Keir.

The name that will come up most easily, without prompting, will almost certainly be Martin Lewis, aka The Money Saving Expert.

In the focus groups I run around the country, it’s nearly as reliable as clockwork: it doesn’t matter who they are – they can be as middle class and southern as Hyacinth Bucket or as working class and northern as Jim Royale.

For those who have been in solitary confinement for the last 15 years, Lewis is a financial adviser-turned-media superstar. His social media and brand reach is enormous. He advises anyone who will listen on telly, radio or internet where to find the best deals on just about any domestic bill, while haranguing any minister or corporate who he judges to have unfairly treated ordinary bill-payers. His crusade is righteous, his style frantic and fun.

His rise tells us a few important things: about the state of our economy, the low esteem we hold for the governing class; the falling trust in our institutions; the failure to advocate for the working man or woman. But most importantly it tells us just how deeply the cost of living crisis is biting into the social fabric of our society.

One working class focus group participant told us: “What the hell? These politicians need to listen to us. If we’ve got no enjoyment, you’re just working to pay bills, and even when you’re working you’re not able to pay them. Somebody needs to do something.”

And yet the Conservative leadership candidates are essentially avoiding promising to do anything. They nod in the direction of the issue, but they seem much more comfortable attacking each other over ridiculous tax plans, or farcical culture war issues, than responding to a crisis. There are no tangible solutions being offered up.

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This is not a sustainable position. The country is staring down the barrel of a mass boycott of the bill-paying: a collective, pro-active default; a mutual decision to say, “enough is enough”.

And who is the cheerleader in this in this new spirit of public anger? None other than Martin Lewis himself, the Tribune of the Nation’s Bill-Payers. And he is literally, unashamedly warning about a form of insurgency over the cost of living.

Only this week in a video he said: “When I’ve talked about this on social media… people’s eyes are opened: the biggest response is actually people suggesting civil unrest, primarily in the form of mass non-payment. And I think that unrest is becoming a plausible outcome unless we see you get a handle on this."

The political and corporate classes need to act – and act quickly. It’s unlikely that Martin Lewis will ever actually take over Downing Street, but his people – in their millions – appear to be ready for open revolt.