Households and businesses are being forced to “pay a heavy price” for the UK government’s refusal to deliver real and lasting support through the Tory-made cost-of-living crisis, the SNP has warned.
The criticism comes after Ofgem increased its energy price cap to around £4,279 a year from January.
While consumers may be shielded through the government’s price guarantee, the SNP highlighted that bills are still treble what they were last year, taxpayers will be left to pick up the bill through government borrowing to subsidise the price guarantee and tax rises, and many households are struggling to make ends meet with the already sky-high energy bills.
Commenting, the SNP’s Shadow Energy spokesperson Alan Brown MP said:
“While the UK government’s feeble price guarantee may initially shield consumers from the rising energy price cap, the reality is that it will be households that will be forced to pay a heavy price through borrowing to subsidise the guarantee and tax rises.
“Having taken a sledgehammer to the economy, the Tories are now allowing ordinary households to pay the harshest price of all, and face energy bills significantly larger than this time last year.
“While the support brought forward by the UK government is welcome, it’s clear that it must go much further, and much faster to prevent people from being pushed into hardship and poverty.
“However, the Tories have so far refused to bring in serious targeted support for those struggling the most from a mess of the UK government’s own making.
“Worse, their energy policies do not favour renewable energy, which is much cheaper, doing further long term damage to the cost of energy.
“With businesses and households struggling to make ends meet, the reality is that Westminster is failing people right across Scotland and the UK.
“The only way to properly protect households and tackle the Tory-made cost of living crisis is with the full powers of independence.”
