Shops across Scotland and the wider UK saw a sharp drop in December footfall, with new figures showing fewer people on the high street at the very moment retailers rely on most.
Data from the British Retail Consortium shows Christmas footfall fell by 5.1% year on year, with Scotland recording a 1.5% decline, Northern Ireland down 1.7%, and the steepest falls of 3.1% across both England and Wales.
The figures come amid continued pressure on household budgets, with rising energy bills and food costs forcing many families to delay spending and wait for post-Christmas sales.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, described December as “disappointing for retailers as footfall declined across all shopping locations,” warning that “in the face of rising bills and food costs, many consumers held off for post-Christmas sales.”
The downturn follows another rise in household energy bills on 1 January, the fifth increase since Keir Starmer entered Downing Street in July 2024.
The current energy price cap now stands at £1,758, up £190 from the £1,568 level when Labour came to power, despite an election pledge to reduce bills by £300.
To meet that promise now, energy costs would need to fall by almost £500 per household, a gap that critics say underlines the scale of the cost-of-living challenge facing families and businesses alike.
New polling suggests public confidence has continued to collapse, with a YouGov survey finding that 85% of people believe the Labour government is handling the cost of living badly, while just 8% think it is doing well.
The poll gives Labour a net score of minus 77 on the issue, the lowest recorded since tracking began in October 2022.
Against that backdrop, the SNP says the footfall figures show the cost-of-living crisis is no longer just squeezing households, but actively damaging local economies.
SNP Economy spokesperson Dave Doogan MP said:
“With energy bills, food costs and inflation all through the roof, millions of families are paying the price for Keir Starmer’s failure on the soaring cost of living, but these new figures reveal the crippling damage being done to businesses too.
“December is vital to our retail sector yet thanks to Starmer’s inaction on the cost-of-living crisis, hard pressed families stayed at home and waited for the sales, that’s a direct consequence of energy bills being £500 higher than promised, UK unemployment at a five-year high, a UK economy downgraded, deteriorated public finances and households struggling to get by as prices become unaffordable.
“Unlike the Labour UK Government, the SNP has prioritised the cost of living and is delivering the best support for families on these islands.
“SNP policies including ending peak rail fares, free tuition, free school meals and childcare, free personal care and prescriptions, the Scottish Child Payment and the Baby Box are putting thousands of pounds back in people’s pockets.
“Starmer has broken promise after promise and while the Labour Party tears itself apart in bitter infighting, John Swinney is relentlessly focussed on the cost of living crisis and our NHS, in May Scots can sack Keir Starmer, prioritise the cost of living and secure a fresh start with independence by voting SNP at the Scottish elections.”
