Labour minister hits out at 'dishonest' SNP independence energy bills claim
A Scottish Labour UK minister has accused John Swinney of false claims over independence.
A Scottish UK Labour energy minister has accused the SNP of being “dishonest” over a pre-election pledge that independence will cut power bills by one third - comparing John Swinney’s “populism” party to Reform.
Michael Shanks, speaking at the Holyrood energy summit in Edinburgh, hit out at the SNP, warning that “the constitutional question for Scotland and the energy policy cannot be separated”.
The Rutherglen MP hit back after John Swinney used an SNP campaign event in December to claim, without evidence, that voting for independence could result in energy bills cut by up to one third.
Speaking in Glasgow, Mr Swinney launched a paper called ‘it’s Scotland’s energy’, which claimed that “electricity bills for households in Scotland can be reduced by over one third with the creation of a Scottish electricity market and the policy flexibility that would give us”.
READ MORE: Berwick Bank wind farm secures 'monumental' UK contract backing in huge Scottish energy boost
Mr Shanks was speaking after the Berwick Bank B development was awarded UK government backing with a flagship contract for difference, alongside a host of other green renewable developments.
He stressed that “the price we agreed for that power is 40 per cent lower than the cost of building and running a new gas power station”, adding: “That means cheaper power”.
Mr Shanks said: “We could turn our backs on clean and reliable homegrown power as Reform and the Tories would have us do.”
The Labour ministers warned that shunning renewables, as the Conservatives and Nigel Farage’s party is, would result in “higher costs, more volatility and even greater dependence on international markets”.
Turning to the SNP ahead of May’s election, Mr Shanks said: “The constitutional question for Scotland and the energy policy cannot be separated.
“The SNP, a few weeks ago, published a plan to break up the foundation of our energy security, the shared energy market across this island.”
He warned that Mr Swinney’s plans would lead to “years of uncertainty, loss of investment and ultimately, higher bills”, adding: “You need to know that is what they are offering.”
Mr Shanks said: “The clean energy economy is growing three times faster than the rest of the UK economy.
“That’s what serious policy, aligned with our industrial policy that Scotland has been lacking for far too long, delivers. All of that would be put at risk by the uncertainty of independence.”
The minister insisted that “In May, Scotland’s energy future is on the ballot”.
Comparing the SNP to Reform, Mr Shanks argued that they were “different parties but the same approach” to energy.
He claimed that both the SNP and Reform were opting for “populism over the reality of hard choices” and “risk dressed up as virtue”.
Mr Shanks added that some of the SNP’s claims over energy were “dishonest”.
The SNP government has continued its long-standing opposition to nuclear power stations being built in Scotland. Despite energy generation being largely reserved to Westminster, SNP minister have an effective veto over developments through devolved planning rules.
Mr Shanks said: “Because of the SNP’s objection to new nuclear, Scotland is now importing nuclear-generated electricity from England when renewables are not meeting demand.”
But he warned the SNP would have to explain to voters why they were “abandoning job opportunities” and “ignoring the potential of new skills”.
He added: “Scotland is locked out. That is not leadership. That is not principle, it’s a refusal to deal with the real world.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.