The SNP has demanded that Anas Sarwar explain to voters why energy bills are rising again despite Labour promising during the General Election to cut them by three hundred pounds.
The criticism follows the latest announcement of a higher energy price cap which comes after months of increases that have pushed household bills nearly five hundred pounds above the level many voters believed they had been promised.
In the run up to the twenty twenty four General Election, Keir Starmer pledged publicly that he would cut fuel bills for Scots and party literature repeated the commitment that a Labour government would deliver a three hundred pound reduction.
Instead the cap has risen repeatedly, with close to two hundred pounds added since July twenty twenty four and another rise now confirmed as winter takes hold.
The SNP says families across Scotland are facing higher costs at the very moment they most need support and insists that Labour must now account for the gap between their promises and the reality of bills that continue to climb.
George Adam MSP set out the party’s concerns and called for Anas Sarwar to face the public directly.
He said:
“It’s baltic outside, and voters are hit with the news that energy bills have gone up again.
“While Anas Sarwar likes to pretend Labour are fighting for us, they’re too busy fighting among themselves to take real action on energy bills, leaving Scots out in the cold.
“It’s high time for Anas Sarwar to explain to people in Scotland why we’re stuck with skyrocketing bills, despite his party’s promise to cut them.
“Labour offers no direction for Scotland, we need a fresh start with independence.”
The SNP argues that the rises deepen the pressure on households already facing higher food costs, more expensive mortgages and rising transport prices and warns that many voters will feel misled after believing Labour’s pledges during the campaign.
The latest increase has also reignited debate around the UK Government’s wider energy strategy and whether it offers enough stability or long term planning to shield households from repeated shocks.
The SNP says the lack of clarity in Labour’s approach leaves families facing another winter of uncertainty and insists that Scotland should have greater control over its own energy policy and resources.
With temperatures falling sharply across the country the issue of energy affordability has returned to the centre of political debate and is likely to dominate discussion in the coming weeks as parties set out competing visions for how to support households through the months ahead.
