The creation of a state-owned energy company was a key plank of Keir Starmer's Labour manifesto (Image: PA)

Labour Government can't shy away from its pledge to slash energy bills by £300

by · Daily Record

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Energy bills will come down by £300. Or to be more exact: "Great British Energy, a publicly owned energy company, will cut energy bills by up to £300.”

Not my words, but those of the Chancellor. Now, I could have listed all the Labour politicians who have promoted these lines, or a variation of them, but that would leave me a little short of space for what comes next.

Which is to let you all know that on Tuesday last week, each and every Labour MP in Westminster voted against giving GB Energy the remit to reduce your bills by £300.

Their flagship pre-election promise to voters was frozen out. Labour MPs who were so confident to make the claims pre-election, melted away like snow off a dyke when it came to the crunch of voting to deliver it.

Now, you don’t need me to tell you that it’s back to being dark when you head to work in the morning and come home at night, nor that the heating has definitely had to go back on because a jumper in the house won’t cut it. You definitely don’t need to be reminded that energy bills have just gone back up by 10 per cent.

But you might have missed this vote last week given all the Budget talk which landed just a day later. A Budget which, of course, didn’t row back on the choice that Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer made to strip the winter fuel allowance away from pensioners across Scotland. Close to 900,000 pensioners in fact. A cash lifeline for many when the harshness of winter sets in.

That, of course, didn’t stop Labour politicians across Scotland from giving it yaldi for a day or two. Now, some Labour folk would argue that there was justifiable cause to be acting like the dogs who got chucked a bone by Westminster.

After fourteen years of austerity the funding available to spend on the NHS has increased now that the Tories are out the door. Excellent, and on that we will agree.

But what they don’t seem to understand is that such decisions are the very least the public expect from a Labour Government. Whereas cutting the winter fuel allowance is the very last thing the public expect from a Labour Government.

And that choice doesn’t sit alone, far from it. After all, who can forget their equally bleak decision to retain the Tory two child benefit cap that forces kids across Scotland into poverty.

It's early days, but the public response to the Budget hasn’t matched the giddy nature of Anas Sarwar and Labour in Scotland. And I’d gently suggest that gap will widen further when the true extent of their National Insurance rise starts to hit home.

As it stands, and as mad as this sounds, nobody even knows if local GP practices are set to be hit with a massive tax bill or not. But what we do know is that your local pub will, and all the experts tell us that this will lead to increased costs, fewer opening hours or lower wages for staff. Some might even choose to shut the doors entirely.

Add on to that the analysis which highlights that the amount of cash we all have available to spend is going to decrease, and you might start to think that Labour got just a little ahead of themselves last week.

But who am I to offer them advice? I’ll leave that job to the Chancellor. After all, she told us that our energy bills would fall. And we still believe her, don’t we?

Scotch whisky industry let down again

No matter where you go, or who you meet, the chances are that if they know Scotland they will know whisky. It’s our brand. Now the good folk at the Scotch Whisky Association will have to forgive me because it’s only in recent years that my taste buds have grown to properly appreciate the stuff - up until then it was only ever a cheap nip, drenched in some Coca-Cola on a matchday, that was passing these lips.

But enough about my own habits, it’s those of others that matter, and on that front Scotch is a global success story.

That’s why it leaves such a bitter taste to see Labour going after the industry in the budget. The Tories did likewise by the way, ramping up tax by 10.1 per cent.

Scottish politics

The industry itself showed that rise actually cost the Treasury £300 million. Yet, despite knowing this, and despite a cast-iron promise from Keir Starmer to 'back Scottish producers to the hilt', Labour hiked taxes yet further.

It’ll cost the industry millions more, on top of the £300 million it’s already costing the public coffers. Meantime, Labour intends to spend only 750 grand promoting ‘brand Scotland’.

They should probably put down the bottle before doing their sums next time.

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