Zonal pricing would have cut energy bills in Scotland but Labour ruled it out

Daily Record

3 days ago

Whether it's your mortgage or rent, the cost of the messages or filling up the car, I know it feels like costs keep going up and there is not a lot left over at the end of the month.
The SNP is doing what we can to support people – getting rid of peak rail fares, protecting free bus travel and supporting families with the Scottish Child Payment.
But few costs are worrying people like energy bills. In an energy rich nation like Scotland nobody should be struggling to pay their bill. Yet not only are many people struggling, hundreds of thousands of families are living in fuel poverty. It is just unacceptable.
Last week, the UK Labour Government ruled out a move which could have cut bills in Scotland. They have been very quick to tell us what they won't do – they now need to tell us what they will do to bring people's bills down.
Labour promised to reduce your bills by £300 – but they're now around £150 higher than when Keir Starmer became Prime Minister. So we need to see clear, concrete action from the UK Government setting out how they will reduce people's bills by at least £450 if they are to fulfil that promise.
They cannot stick their head in the sand and hope the problem goes away. High energy bills are one of the biggest issues people are facing and are only going to get worse when we get into winter.
Labour have used their time in office to try to balance the books on the backs of the vulnerable – whether pensioners, children or disabled people. And they have done nothing to fulfil their promises on energy bills.
There are two lessons we can take from that. That you simply cannot trust promises Labour make before an election. And that if people want to know what a Labour Government in Scotland might be like, just look at the shambles of Labour in government in Westminster.
Gaza
Last week, I met with UNICEF to discuss their work responding to the horrors being inflicted on the people of Gaza by the government of Israel.
It was heartbreaking and incredibly difficult to listen to. But it only strengthened my resolve that the international community needs to act now to bring this suffering to an end and ensure peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
One of the things UNICEF stressed to me was the issue of medical evacuations. That is the number of children – some of them babies – who need urgent medical care that they now just cannot receive in Gaza. Many of them will literally die without it.
I do not think Scotland can stand on the sidelines while innocent children are killed. So I have been clear that we stand ready to offer live-saving treatment in our world-class NHS.
We cannot however do this alone – the powers to bring the children to Scotland sit with the UK Government. That is why I have asked the Prime Minister to support us in this work and I hope he will accept.
This conflict needs to end now – but until it does, Scotland stands ready to play our part in protecting innocent children who have already suffered too much.
Holiday
Last week, I enjoyed a few days away in Tiree with my wife Elizabeth and my son Matthew.
Tiree is one of my favourite islands in Scotland and we had a fabulous couple of days at the stunning Tiree Music Festival.
It has helped me to recharge the batteries before getting stuck back into things.