SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan will use his speech to the SNP conference in Aberdeen on Thursday to demand action from Prime Minister Andy Burnham on the cost of living, arguing that action could save households more than £500 on average amid a “cost-of-living tsunami”.
The call comes ahead of the Prime Minister making a visit to Scotland on Friday. Mr Doogan will claim that while bills have risen since the Labour leader took charge this summer, “the only thing that has fallen under Andy Burnham is living standards”.
VAT cut and energy bill pledge
The SNP MP is calling for the Prime Minister to remove the 20% VAT charge on petrol and diesel for the duration of the current energy “crisis”. This, combined with Labour cutting energy bills by the £300 promised in 2024, would save the average Scottish household more than £500 a year, Mr Doogan will say.
In what will be his first speech since taking over as SNP Westminster leader, Mr Doogan will warn the Prime Minister that when he travels north on Friday “he will face scrutiny over the fact that while he promised to cut the cost of living, every major household bill has increased on his watch”.
Speech highlights falling living standards
Mr Doogan will say: “Under Andy Burnham, our energy bills are up, the price of petrol is up, mortgage rates are up, inflation is up and the cost of food and shopping is up.
“The only thing that has fallen under Andy Burnham is living standards.”
Going on to say that “the next wave of Westminster’s cost-of-living tsunami is already hitting Scottish households” the SNP MP will say: “People in Scotland don’t want a flying visit to fill the Prime Minister’s TikTok content – they want to know when he is going to cut energy bills, cut fuel duty and cut the cost of living this winter.
“So, let me be clear – at the UK Budget he can make a start by removing the Labour Government’s 20% VAT charge from petrol and diesel prices for the duration of the crisis – and by cutting energy bills by the full £300 that the Labour Party promised.
“That would mean a saving for the average Scottish household of over £500 a year on the Labour Government’s current cost-of-living crisis.”
Comparison with Irish government measures
Mr Doogan will go on to highlight actions taken by the Irish government in its Budget last week, which extended temporary tax cuts for petrol and diesel, alongside cuts in taxes for heating oil and gas and increases in childcare subsidies.
These measures are all designed to help Irish citizens “through this cost-of-living emergency”, Mr Doogan will say. He will tell the party conference that ministers in Ireland “extended fuel duty cuts to diesel and petrol, cut taxes on gas and home heating oil and extended a cut to VAT for hospitality businesses” all while running a 9.0 billion euro surplus.
In the wake of that, the SNP Westminster leader will add: “The contrast on these islands couldn’t be clearer.
“Broken Brexit Britain is bust while our neighbour Ireland – a small independent nation in the European Union – goes from strength to strength.”
He will say: “Scotland is an energy-rich country with huge natural resources and wealth.
“It is a scandal that, under Westminster control, families in Scotland are forced to pay some of the highest bills in Europe – and it proves that independence is the key to building the prosperous future we all want to see because real change hasn’t come – and won’t ever come – from Westminster.”
The UK Government has been contacted for comment.
