Swinney calls for ‘substantial support’ with energy bills in UK Budget

Chancellor John Healey must deliver “substantial support” to help people with their energy bills in his Budget, Scotland’s First Minister has insisted.

John Swinney said that if the Chancellor cannot provide people with help during the current cost of living crisis, his Budget will be “just like all the failed budgets” of his predecessor, Rachel Reeves.

The First Minister challenged the Chancellor to use Wednesday’s keynote Commons statement to follow through on Labour’s 2024 election manifesto commitment to reduce energy bills by £300.

Speaking exclusively to the Press Association from India, the SNP leader called on Mr Healey to “deliver tangible and substantial support”.

Stressing the need to “assist householders in relation to the cost of living”, he said the issue had been “the most significant issue that was on everybody’s lips” in this year’s Holyrood election campaign.

The First Minister continued: “The Chancellor, at the very least, has got to fulfil Labour’s election commitment to deliver energy bills that are £300 lower than when Labour came to office.

“Now, at this moment, those energy bills are higher than when Labour came to office, and they’re projected to go even higher in January.

“So, if the Chancellor does not deliver substantial support to the cost of living around energy bills for people in Scotland, then the Chancellor’s budget is just like all the failed budgets of Rachel Reeves. It will not address the real issues that people are facing in our society.”

Mr Swinney’s comments came as his Deputy First Minister said the Chancellor had a “real opportunity to change the direction of the UK” when he delivers his first Budget.

Chancellor John Healey is pledging to provide ‘breathing space for today and fresh hope for the future’ in his Budget. (Paul Reid/PA)

Jenny Gilruth, who is also Scottish Finance Secretary, said that Mr Healey could “choose to invest in public services and to help hard-pressed families by taking action to stop soaring fuel costs and energy bills”.

Adding that the Scottish Government is facing a “real terms cut” in its finances in 2027-28, when both the resource and capital block grants are expected to fall by 1%, she also urged the Chancellor to “choose a new path” with “investment in public services to further support our NHS, help keep improving our schools, and to lift more children out of poverty”.

Mr Healey meanwhile said he would seek to give Britons “breathing space for today and fresh hope for the future” in his Budget plans

Speaking ahead of his Commons statement, the Chancellor said that “conflicts abroad are pushing up energy prices, and the cost of living here at home – piling pressure on the families, on businesses, and on our public finances”

He added: “We can’t stop these shocks that hit Britain, but we can make Britain more resilient when they do.

“So, this Budget is designed to give households breathing space from some of the everyday costs, provide targeted support for businesses and self-employed people, and to start the long-term action needed to get energy costs down for good.”

Mr Healey, who previously served as defence secretary, went on to say his Budget would look to “strengthen national security and our defences”, adding there would be further support for Ukraine.

He promised this could be achieved while “sticking within tight fiscal rules”, saying: “This Budget is about getting through this difficult moment. But it’s also about putting Britain on a future path, a better future path.”