Scots pay unacceptable price for Westminster default on energy bills – SNP
Cots are paying an “unacceptable price for Westminster’s failure,” SNP Westminster leader said in light of the UK government’s decision to freeze the energy price guarantee.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt presented his budget on Wednesday, in which he said annual energy bills would be capped at an average of £2,500.
But the £400 energy bill support scheme is set to be scrapped.
Following the budget, analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated that a household’s typical energy bill would remain above £2,000 at least until winter 2024/25.
Stephen Flynn said Scottish families will have to pay more than double their energy charges in 2021, when the price cap was £1,138.
The OBR forecast also warned that UK household real disposable income (PHDI) is expected to fall by 6% between 2022/23 and 2023/24.
The SNP boss in Westminster has now asked the Chancellor to cut the energy price guarantee.
Mr Flynn said: “Scotland is a prosperous, energy-rich country but families are paying an unacceptable price for Westminster’s failure – with sky-high energy bills that will linger on for years under Westminster’s control.
It’s not too late for the UK government to turn around and cut bills
“The SNP has urged the Chancellor to save households £1,400 by cutting energy bills, but instead the Tory Government has decided to scrap the £400 energy rebate and leave bills at an extortionate level – costing families hundreds be made worse off by pounds.”
The Aberdeen South MP also took aim at the Labor Party, which he said gave its “full support” for the energy cost freeze.
He added: “It’s not too late for the UK government to turn around and cut bills.
“At a time when energy companies are making record profits and wholesale gas prices are falling, it is unforgivable that Westminster is forcing Scottish families to pay through their noses.
“The people of Scotland shouldn’t be footing the bill for Westminster’s mistakes.”
A spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said that “fear mongering will not distract from the fact that bill payers in Scotland are receiving unprecedented support from the UK Government”.
“We will continue to support households even as milder weather sets in,” the spokesman said.
“As announced in the Spring Budget, the energy price guarantee will remain at £2,500 until the end of June 2023, including in Scotland.
“This means that the state pays about half of the energy costs of a typical household.
“The exact saving for the consumer depends on how much energy they use.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/jeremy-hunt-labour-party-office-for-budget-responsibility-westminster-scottish-b1068357.html Scots pay unacceptable price for Westminster default on energy bills – SNP
