THE SNP have demanded Andy Burnham lives up to Labour’s promise to slash energy bills by £300, as the Prime Minister begins his cost-of-living tour of the UK.
Downing Street said Burnham will be in “listening mode” as he visits nations and regions in Britain.
No 10 said he will announce a series of “everyday fixes” to reduce household costs, promising to “pull every single lever we can to provide people with some room to breathe on the cost of living”.
SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan said the “first test of Burnham’s listening skills” will be to meet Labour’s General Election commitment to lower energy bills by up to £300 by 2030.
He said: “If Andy Burnham is actually serious about listening, he should start by living up to all the promises the Labour Party made to the public – and then rapidly broke – to get themselves into Downing Street.”
Doogan said Labour’s “biggest broken promise of all” was its failure to cut energy bills by £300, although the party said in 2024 that would be achieved by the end of the decade.
When Labour won the UK election two years ago, the Ofgem price cap for the average household was £1568. Subsequent rises have pushed the average yearly bill to £1663.
Doogan said: “Concerns about heatwaves will soon turn to heating bills – the first test of Burnham’s listening skills will be to put right Keir Starmer’s broken promise to cut energy bills.
“People in Scotland don’t want to hear any more empty promises about ‘hope in their hearts’ – they want money in their pockets. A listening tour for TikTok content won’t pay the bills, putting proper money in people’s pockets will.
“Burnham has endlessly boasted about confronting the big issues, but he has completely ignored the biggest issue on the horizon for families this autumn.
“The Bank of England warned early this month that prices are set to rise again, energy bills will hit even harder and the public finances of Brexit Britain are broken.
“Andy Burnham should listen to those economic sirens that are ringing louder by the day and act to protect families ahead of this autumn and winter.”
Burnham has pledged to lead a cost-of-living Government since becoming Prime Minister last month.
In his first week in No 10, he announced he would remove VAT from energy bills, saving the typical home around £45 a year.
