Latest news with #Leadbitter
Daily Record
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
SNP urges UK Government to speed up smart meter roll out after RTS switch-off delayed
EXCLUSIVE: Nationalist MP Graham Leadbitter has called for "a cast iron guarantee to Scottish communities that never again will they be left to live in fear of their hot water supply being cut-off and their electricity supply disrupted." The SNP has urged the UK Government to speed up the roll out of smart meters after the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) switch-off was delayed. Nationalist MP Graham Leadbitter has called for "a cast iron guarantee to Scottish communities that never again will they be left to live in fear of their hot water supply being cut-off and their electricity supply disrupted." It was announced on Wednesday evening that there would be a 'managed and more controlled start' to the RTS phaseout from June 30, instead of a hard switch off. The RTS system, used by older electricity meters to control heating and hot water, uses a longwave radio frequency to switch between peak and off-peak rates. The technology is becoming obsolete and energy companies had a deadline to change their customers' meters by June 30. But firms admitted the current rates of replacement meant it was likely that thousands of RTS meters would not have been upgraded before the technology is switched off. In Scotland there were 100,000 people at risk of disruption - one third of all homes awaiting the smart meter upgrade. Leadbitter said in a letter to energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh: "The decision to delay the radio teleswitch shutdown is welcome given the doomed deadline was never going to be met with 100,000 Scottish households under threat of disrupted supply and increased costs. "As you will be aware, the SNP has consistently called for a delay to the shutdown with Scottish homes disproportionately impacted. "One third of all the homes awaiting a smart meter upgrade in advance of the switch-off were in Scotland leaving Scottish customers once again left to bear the brunt of a broken UK energy system. "It was completely unacceptable for the UK Government to leave families in the lurch until just two weeks from the deadline when this issue has been identified and apparent for months. "Indeed, the Scottish Government wrote to you regarding the slow roll-out of smart meters in March with warnings from charities frequently reported to your government. "Now, the UK Government must set out how it will increase the pace of the smart meter roll-out and most importantly, provide a cast iron guarantee to Scottish communities that never again will they be left to live in fear of their hot water supply being cut-off and their electricity supply disrupted." The UK Government was approached for comment.
The National
15-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Rachel Reeves told to come back to Scotland and say sorry to whisky sector
Graham Leadbitter, SNP MP for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey, called the Chancellor's visit to a distillery last Thursday a 'missed opportunity to right Labour's wrongs' as Scottish whisky producers face 'extreme pressure' from Trump's tariffs and Labour's National Insurance employer contribution rise. His comments come after the Prime Minister suggested at PMQs on Wednesday that the trade agreement with Trump would benefit the industry, despite the 10% tariff on whisky exports to the US remaining unchanged and potentially rising to 25% by 2026. READ MORE: Keir Starmer announces Rwanda-style plan to deport asylum seekers Leadbitter said: 'The Chancellor's visit to Scotland last week was a missed opportunity to right Labour wrongs and to apologise for the damage she has levelled on the Scotch Whisky industry. 'She should return to Scotland, apologise to the sector, and reverse the economically illiterate tax hikes imposed on our national drink by successive Tory and Labour UK governments.' Analysis from the Scotch Whisky Association found that the 2023 Tory tax raises on whisky led to a £300 million loss in revenue for the Treasury. Reeves imposed further hikes on the sector in the 2024 Budget in the form of changes to National Insurance contributions. READ MORE: Scottish Labour donor warns national insurance hike will fuel job cuts Leadbitter added: 'Labour has been no friend to the Scotch Whisky industry, or the thousands of jobs it supports in constituencies like mine, but support for the sector is even more important now with Trump tariffs wreaking havoc and harming exports and investment. "Labour, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor appear to have absolutely no understanding whatsoever of the challenges this sector faces — and even worse, they seem not to care. That was exposed again during PMQs yesterday. 'The Chancellor does still have the opportunity to do the right thing — she should take it, or another Scottish industry will be left to suffer by Labour's hands.'
