THE Labour Party will not succeed in its pledge to cut energy bills, the vast majority of Scots have said in a fresh poll.
In a Find Out Now survey of 1774 adults, with “don’t know” responses removed a whopping 88% said they did not think Keir Starmer’s Government would deliver on its promise to lower energy costs.
Just 12% said they thought the party would bring down energy bills, a pledge they have repeatedly made both in opposition and in power.
It comes as the second increase in Ofgem’s price cap this winter is set to take effect next week, meaning someone paying by direct debit using a typical amount of gas and electricity will pay £1738 a year - £21 more than under the previous cap.
Starmer previously said he would lower bills by £300 and promised that GB Energy would help “cut people’s bills”.
Alba Party MSP Ash Regan said the poll results show Scots are seeing through Labour’s “shallow election promises”, suggesting the UK’s mismanagement of Scotland’s energy resources should strengthen the case for independence.
Regan said: “This new poll reveals that Labour has hugely underestimated the people of Scotland’s ability to see through their shallow election promises – this time to reduce energy bills.
“A ‘GB Energy’ nameplate in Aberdeen, with the odd visit from a Salford-based chair, is cold comfort to those struggling against further cost hikes to heat their homes in our energy-abundant nation.
“If this latest betrayal of our people, this time from the new UK Government’s mismanagement of Scotland’s energy resources does not crystalise the pressing case for independence – what does?”
The following month The National revealed GB Energy will not have its own headquarters in Aberdeen but will instead be based in a building shared with oil companies.
SNP MP Dave Doogan said: "People in Scotland can see right through this Labour government's empty promises – and this new poll will surprise nobody, given how awful Labour's track record has been to date. "Scotland is an energy-rich nation and it is nothing short of scandalous that Scots' bills soar under Westminster control while producing immense amounts of clean, green energy. "Scotland can escape the chaos of Westminster control for good with the full powers of independence – where Scotland's energy can benefit the people who live here rather than lining the coffers of the Treasury in London."
The Scottish Greens have accused Starmer of being on a mission to rip up “as much of his manifesto as possible”.
In June last year, the Prime Minister pledged to “cut bills, create jobs and provide energy security” in a speech in the run-up to the election, while Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in a separate speech in the same month that a Labour government would help families save up to £300 off energy bills by 2030.
“It seems as if Keir Starmer is on a mission to rip-up and ignore as much of his manifesto as possible, and it is households across our country who are paying the price,” Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater told The National.
“That betrayal is being particularly felt by the pensioners who have had their Winter Fuel Payments cut at a time when bills are soaring.
“Yet, at the same time as people are freezing and pensioners are being plunged into fuel poverty, the fossil fuel giants are raking in huge profits.
“We need to see a windfall tax worthy of the name so that these obscene profits can be used to support people who need it rather than inflating the profits of those who are destroying our planet.”
Doubts over whether the Labour Government can deliver on their pledge to reduce energy bills come after a poll for YouGov showed voters believe they are “incompetent” and “dishonest”.
Campaigners have said bringing down energy bills must be a priority for the UK Government, with the power for many of the required reforms in the hands of Whitehall ministers.
Responding to the poll commissioned by The National, Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: "Everyone should be able to live in a warm safe home in 21st century Scotland, but with energy bills still 67% higher than they were in 2021, this is an impossibility for many.
"For those with pre-existing health conditions or disabilities, living in cold damp homes is a significant risk factor which can make conditions worse and force them to the doors of the NHS.
"Bringing down energy bills must be a priority for the UK Government. According to the analysis we carried out previously [in June 2024], insulating homes, reducing the costs which currently are added to standing charges and removing VAT could be used to achieve a significant reduction to energy bills.
"While investment in energy efficiency is part of the solution and Scottish ministers need to keep up the pace on this front, many of the other reforms needed are down to Ministers in Whitehall, and the funding will all stem from the Chancellor's decisions in the Comprehensive Spending Review expected in spring 2025."
A series of polls commissioned by The National has also revealed the SNP are on course to remain the dominant party in Scottish politics at the 2026 Holyrood election.
A Westminster poll which was run concurrently suggested a major reversal of fortunes in the London parliament as well. Should a new General Election be run, the SNP would return 41 Scottish MPs while Labour would drop to eight, seat projections from polling expert Professor John Curtice predicted.
