FEARS of spiralling energy costs have sparked calls for the UK Government to overhaul the “broken” market.
Consumer expert Martin Lewis last week warned that energy bills were set to rise more than expected when the price cap is reviewed.
Analysis of official figures by the Sunday National showed that electricity bills had risen by more than double the rate of inflation since 2010.
Electricity bills rose by a staggering 101% between 2010 and 2024, figures from the House of Commons library showed.
But the rate of inflation over the period was just under 48%.
Lewis (above) warned last week that typical households could see their bills going up by as much as £100 when Ofgem’s price cap is reviewed in April – saying it was virtually certain to rise again.
And he said that there was no indication that prices would not also go up in the two other reviews in July and October this year.
Dave Doogan, the SNP’s energy spokesperson, pointed out that Labour had given a “cast-iron guarantee” during the election that they would cut bills by £300.
He said: “Bills are set to rise for a third time under Labour's watch and they refuse to do a thing about it but herald GB Energy – which has a paltry sum behind it – while no one knows what on Earth it will do.
“Trust in politics is at rock bottom thanks to a litany of broken promises by Sir Keir Starmer, but this one, coupled with cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment, is hitting Scots the hardest.
“Scotland is energy rich and if you look out your window in the North East you'll see the world’s largest offshore windfarm and ships servicing a world-class energy sector, yet when the letterbox snaps shut, you'll be met with the highest energy bill in the UK – it is absurd and one of the great injustices of broken, Brexit Britain.”
Greens MSP Mark Ruskell said that the Sunday National’s analysis showed the energy market needed to be reformed.
He said: “Instead of doubling down on decades of failure, we badly need to fix the broken energy market that is plunging people into poverty while keeping our reliance on climate-wrecking fossil fuels.
“Renewable energy has helped to cut the cost of generating electricity, and as we continue to expand their use, that must be reflected in the bills that people are paying.”
“Unfortunately, there’s no sign that either the Tories or Labour are listening.”
Ruskell (above) laid the blame at the door of Westminster administrations of all colours, adding: “This staggering rise in people’s bills isn’t a natural event, it’s the culmination of 15 years of broken promises and failed policy from the UK Government.
“From their cutting of insulation schemes in 2013, to Labour’s constant confusion around what their flagship ‘GB Energy’ is and what it will do, successive UK governments have floundered on energy policy at a time when Scotland has seen an unprecedented expansion in renewables.”
The UK Government was approached for comment.
