I have condemned the Scottish Government over their failure to establish a promised national energy company in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis.
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament I challenged Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, to explain why the Scottish Government had failed to use powers already available to create the energy company but Mr Robertson refused to answer.
I have also raised a motion in the Scottish Parliament calling for a windfall tax on companies that are profiteering on the backs of people across the country who are already facing the greatest increase in living costs in almost three decades. You can see that motion below.
The SNP used to blame European state aid rules for their failures to intervene in the economy, now they sell out Scottish jobs and Scottish manufacturing to the highest bidder without explanation.
I’m not sure what the Scottish Government’s excuse is now for not establishing a national energy company as the Cabinet Secretary refused to answer my question.
The failure to establish a national energy company hasn’t just hit household bills, it’s lost us billions in the ScotWind project which could have been a real symbol of Scottish success and a boost to the Scottish economy.
We could have a national energy company to secure the lowest price for consumers, free of shareholders and corporate bonuses, running Scotland’s renewable sector but instead we’re carving up some of Scotland’s greatest energy assets for private gain while the average person suffers.
This is just another example of short-term thinking from a government that has been in power too long to still be considering the short term.
Establishing a national energy company is entirely possible using devolved powers and it is essential that the Scottish Government use these powers to create the national energy company it promised and take whatever steps necessary to secure contracts for on-shore supply and manufacturing services and ensure this work remains in Scotland.
Copy of motion raised in Scottish Parliament below:
Motion ref. S6M-03132
BP Profits and Cost of Living
Submitted by: Alex Rowley, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour.
Date lodged: Friday, February 11, 2022
That the Parliament is deeply concerned by the recent announcement by BP of its profits for 2021, which increased to $12.8 billion, in the midst of what it considers to be a cost of living crisis; condemns the language of BP’s CEO, who has reportedly described the company as “literally a cash machine” when reflecting on its profits; understands that people across the UK are facing energy bill increases of up to 54% from April 2022; believes that this news, combined with earlier reports of Shell’s 2021 profits increasing to $19 billion, paints a worrying picture of what it considers to be company profiteering on the backs of people, across the country, who are already facing the greatest increase in living costs in almost three decades; notes action reportedly taken in France to cap energy bill increases at 4% by state intervention, and calls for a windfall tax on companies who have benefited from increases to profits at the expense, it believes, of consumers, in order to mitigate what it sees as the worst of skyrocketing energy bills.
