KEIR Starmer must scrap plans to charge Scots an extra £108 for energy, the SNP have said, pledging that independence will lead to lower bills.
UK households are to be hit with the surge to pay for infrastructure upgrades. Ofgem has given the go-ahead to an initial £28 billion of investment to upgrade UK energy infrastructure but revealed the move will push up network charges on household bills.
But SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has said the Labour UK Government must not go down the road of charging Scots “through the nose” for energy the country has “in abundance”.
Flynn said: “Keir Starmer must scrap Labour Party plans to charge Scottish families an extra £108 on their energy bills – in the latest energy bill betrayal by the Labour government.
“It is shameful that the Labour Party has already increased bills by £487 more than promised – with further rises expected in the coming months.
“Scotland is an energy-rich country but Keir Starmer is forcing Scottish families to pay through the nose for a resource we have in abundance, while destroying thousands of jobs in Scotland’s energy industry like a modern day Thatcher.
“It’s Scotland’s energy – and it shows why Scotland needs a fresh start with independence so families can properly benefit from Scotland’s vast energy wealth.”
He added: “The Labour government must find other ways to fund the increased network charges itself, rather than increasing energy bills for Scottish families yet again.
“The SNP has already set out various proposals to reduce bills, including a levy on the banks as set out by the IPPR.”
During the UK General Election, the Labour Party promised voters they would reduce energy bills by £300.
At that point, the Energy Price Cap (EPC) was £1568 per year. In order to meet their commitment they would therefore need to reduce the EPC to £1268 or lower.
Instead, energy bills are currently £487 higher than the Labour Party promised. The EPC has increased by £187 since the Labour Party came to power and is currently £1755.
Ofgem has confirmed the Energy Price Cap will rise again in January, for a fifth time under Labour, by 0.2% though the impact will be felt more heavily for households that use more electricity than gas, as electricity prices are increasing at a higher rate.
From April, energy bills are forecast to rise again for a sixth time under Labour by between 2% and 4%.
The SNP on Monday argued that household energy bills could be a third cheaper in an independent Scotland.
John Swinney argued that Scotland could be “better off with independence”, adding that leaving the UK would put “Scotland’s energy in Scotland’s hands”.
He used a speech in Glasgow to warn Keir Starmer that if he fails to act on the tax paid by energy firms, the Prime Minister could follow in the footsteps of Margaret Thatcher and become a “second destroyer of industry”.
He added the UK’s oil and gas industry – which is largely based in the north east of Scotland – had been “left high and dry” by the energy profits levy.
Echoing a previous SNP slogan on “Scotland’s oil”, with the switch to renewable power Swinney said it was now “Scotland’s energy”.
He added that leaving the UK would allow Scotland to use its “energy wealth to deliver a true transformation of our society and our economy”.
Swinney said analysis produced for Ofgem had indicated that a “different policy approach would enable Scotland to have the lowest wholesale electricity prices in western Europe”.
He said that this, together with scrapping “unnecessary costs like the UK’s nuclear levy” could be used to “deliver big benefits here in Scotland”.
