Scots will be hit with massive energy bill rises after the Conservative Government announced an end to the current price cap.
The so-called energy prince guarantee began in October and was supposed to run for two years. But worsening public finances has forced Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt to u-turn in his Autumn Statement.
Under the current scheme, a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity is expected to pay around £2,500 annually.
The cap will be raised to around £3,000 from April for 12 months, with support from that point being targeted at those on low incomes. The two-year scheme had been introduced by the previous Government led by Liz Truss.
Ahead of the statement Ian Blackford, the SNP Westminster leader, said that the Chancellor does not need to bring in the "austerity measures".
He told Sky News: "I think it really brings into question a lot of the austerity measures that we know that the Chancellor is going to bring in today. He doesn't need to be doing this, it's a political choice as much as anything else."
The SNP MP called for windfall taxes on companies that "have benefited from high energy prices" and said a tax on share buybacks "would bring in £11 billion".
He added that the economy was "smaller because of Brexit" and that "we should be honest about its impact".
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