Rachel Reeves promises Scots lower heating bills despite rise in energy price cap
dailyrecord.co.ukLabour Chancellor Rachel Reeves has promised Scots their heating bills will fall even though the energy price cap is rising.Reeves said investment in home insulation and the creation of the publicly-owned GB Energy would lead to lower bills and keep Putin’s “boot off our neck”.She also called on the SNP Government to take “responsibility” for the cuts they are making to public services.In one of her first acts as Chancellor, Reeves raised the alarm on a £22bn funding black hole she discovered after the Tories left office.She announced steep spending cuts, including to the Winter Fuel Payment for older people, and more “pain” is expected in October’s Budget.First Minister John Swinney has accused Labour of continuing with austerity and has urged Scots to unite against the new Government.In an interview with the Record, the UK’s first female chancellor rejected the claims of the SNP and pointed the finger at the Conservatives:“This Labour Government took office seven weeks ago and we’ve inherited a terrible mess. [A] £22bn black hole in the public finances, not some year in the future, but this year.“And we have to be open and transparent about that.
It’s the right thing to do, but also it’s the only way that we can fix the problem. You can only fix the problem if you are open and honest about it.”She continued: “I can’t choose my inheritance but it is up to me how I respond to the inheritance that I face. "I realised that taking no action was not an option, because allowing the public finances to get out of control in the way that Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng did less than two years ago, and put our financial markets into turmoil, had real consequences for families, with hikes in mortgages, interest rates and rents.“I was
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