Scotland’s energy security and how we bring down bills for people in Scotland has been a priority for Labour in Scotland and across the UK.
The UK Labour Government came into power with energy bills sky high because the Tory government had left households exposed to fossil fuels. Labour is determined to take action to bring down bills, and that’s why the recent budget announced £150 off bills from April this year and why we are building a clean power system for the future so that gas no longer sets the price of our energy.
Energy bills were lower in real terms in 2025 compared to 2024 – but we know that for many people costs remain too high. That is why the UK Labour Government has taken an average of £150 of costs off energy bills from April for everyone and expanded the Warm Home Discount, meaning millions of low-income households will get £300 off their energy bills, including an additional 240,000 families in Scotland this winter.
To help drive down bills in the long-term, the UK Labour Government has put record investment into renewable energy and national grid infrastructure. This will help ensure long term affordability and security of energy supply and is supported by Labour’s establishment of Great British Energy, based in Aberdeen.
From a community solar farm on the Isle of Arran to wind farms in Aberdeenshire, Great British Energy is helping to transform our isles into mini energy generators. This not only reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and helps stabilise prices, but it also maintains Scotland’s historic role as the UK’s energy powerhouse.
Together as the UK we are building a clean power system to bring down bills and deliver thousands of jobs in Scotland – 60,000 by 2030 as part of the Clean Energy Jobs Plan. All that would be put at serious risk by independence.
The SNP could help deliver energy security by dropping its ideological block on nuclear which rejects the creation of well-paid jobs, apprenticeships, and reliable low-carbon energy. At least a fifth of Scotland’s current electrical energy consumption comes from nuclear sources which will have to come from other parts of the UK if Scotland’s nuclear generation capacity is not renewed. The Nuclear Industry Association reported more than 10,000 new nuclear jobs being created in the last year alone – the SNPs stance is clearly untenable and is holding Scotland back when it comes to clean power.
In July, as part of the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) programme, the UK Government set out their intention to retain a single national wholesale price to keep the system simple and fair, while improving efficiency and reducing costs. The decision was made not to introduce zonal pricing, as the transition to this model would have led to a decade of uncertainty – uncertainty which would have hit Scotland more than any other part of the UK, costing jobs and supply chain investments in communities right across the country. This decision was not opposed by the SNP Scottish Government.
There is much more the Scottish Government could do to support households lower their bills by delivering more energy efficient homes. It was disappointing that they cut the funding for solar panels for homeowners and Scottish Labour MSPs have been pushing them to promote community, cooperative and council owned energy projects would deliver more investment into our local communities. Three years on from the publication of the Scottish Government’s draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan we are still waiting for the actual plan to be published.
Scottish Labour has been clear that more must be done to bring down bills and maintain our energy security. The UK Labour Government is committed to take that action and deliver for all of Scotland, and a Scottish Labour Government would work hand in hand with the UK Government to deliver on this, removing roadblocks to nuclear, and investing in greens skills and jobs.