Political reporter

CUT energy bills now, the Scottish National Party has told incoming premier Andy Burnham.

The SNP’s Westminster leader Dave Doogan made the call as working people face a 13 per cent rise in their fuel bills from the start of July.

Mr Doogan warned that Labour must keep its manifesto pledge to reduce energy bills by £300 by 2030.

He said: “The next UK prime minister must immediately slash the cost of energy bills to avoid damaging their reputation by repeating another broken Labour Party election promise.

“From next week, energy bills will increase to almost £600 more than the Labour Party promised at the election — leaving millions of households paying through the nose in rip-off Britain.

“The betrayal on energy bills is one of the biggest symbols of the litany of broken promises by the Labour government — and reversing it is essential for any prime minister who wants to avoid the same fate as Keir Starmer. 

“It will be one of the first big tests of the next prime minister.”

Mr Doogan said Scots would be hit hardest by energy costs with families north of the border “forced to pay some of the highest standing charges anywhere in Broken Brexit Britain.”

He added: “It is a scandal that families in energy-rich Scotland are being forced to pay sky-high energy bills by the Labour government. 

“Westminster has taken over £400 billion of Scotland’s energy wealth and, instead of investing it in Scotland, they have closed down Grangemouth and are destroying thousands of vital Scottish energy jobs in the North Sea.”