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.
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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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