
Anas Sarwar urged to break silence on Labour's 'nuclear tax' for Scots
Miliband snuck out a statement hours before Parliament was due to go into a six-week summer recess, admitting energy bill payers would face a decade-long levy as a result of the price hike.
This is despite Labour promising ahead of the General Election that their flagship GB Energy policy would save people £300 a year on their energy bills. In actual fact, bills are on average 10% higher than they were this time last year.
READ MORE: Renewables transition fund for Aberdeen oil workers launched
It also comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves cut £2.5 billion from GB Energy to fund English nuclear reactors at the Spending Review.
An average of £1 will be added to each household's energy bills per month from autumn, over the duration of the nuclear site's construction phase.
(Image: NQ) SNP MP Graham Leadbitter (above) has now written to Scottish Labour leader Sarwar to seek clarity on whether he still backs the plant given its spiralling cost and the fact Scots it will "punish Scottish bill payers".
The letter says: "These English nuclear power plants are extortionate, but the bombshell announcement that your Labour Government slipped out was that they are to be funded by a decade-long levy on Scottish energy bills.
"To be absolutely clear: in energy rich Scotland, Scots will pay more money on their energy bills to pay for English nuclear power plants.
"If Ed Miliband's stated figures are correct, it could see Scots foot a £300m bill for a nuclear power plant south of the border – a 'nuclear tax' on every Scottish energy bill. A grave injustice and a far cry for your party's pledge to cut energy bills which have soared by £150 on your watch.
READ MORE: Scottish Water hits back at UK minister Steve Reed's pollution claim
'Any politician from Scotland worth their salt will call this out for what it is - completely absurd. Yet far from that being the case, it seems Scottish Labour is happy to cheer on investment in England at the expense of Scottish industry and Scottish bill payers.
"You and your party stand squarely behind these extortionate white elephants despite Scotland's energy future being bound in the success of renewable energy projects, carbon capture and closer links with Europe.
'Your continued silence on this matter begs the question whether you support these plans that will punish Scottish bill payers - if not, when will you speak out?"
Sarwar has previously urged John Swinney to end the Scottish Government's "ideological block" on nuclear power.
The UK Government announced on Tuesday that it had signed a deal with a group of investors on Sizewell-C.
The Government will become the biggest equity shareholder in the project with a 44.9% stake.
New investors include Canadian investment fund La Caisse with 20%, British Gas owner Centrica with 15%, and Amber Infrastructure with an initial 7.6%.
Scottish Labour have been approached for comment.
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Telegraph
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Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
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The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Consent for gigantic wind farm is an ironic act of ecocide
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Because if the UK can consider recognising Palestine under the Montevideo Convention, then the only thing stopping Scotland is the lack of a leadership willing to act on what we already are. James Murphy Bute THE claims by a group of peers in the House of Lords that UK recognition of Palestine could 'breach international law' warrant scrutiny. These assertions are based on a rigid interpretation of the Montevideo Convention and a selective reading of legal principles and risk politicising law rather than defending it. A clear-eyed examination reveals that such recognition remains well within the bounds of international legality and reflects long-standing norms of state practice. The UK is not a signatory to the Montevideo Convention of 1933 and state recognition in international law has always been as much a political act as a legal one. Numerous recognitions have occurred over the years, including Kosovo and South Sudan, despite contested claims to defined territory or unified governance. Recognition of states remains a sovereign prerogative. As confirmed by the International Court of Justice in its 2010 advisory opinion on Kosovo, international law does not prohibit declarations of independence or third-party recognition, even in complex or disputed circumstances. Recognition by the UK would not constitute a breach of international law but rather an exercise of lawful foreign policy discretion. (Image: Jonathan Brady) More than 135 UN member states have recognised Palestine and in 2012 the UN General Assembly granted Palestine non-member observer state status. These actions underscore the fact that recognition of Palestinian statehood is neither novel nor legally exceptional. If such recognition were truly contrary to international law, it would have triggered challenges in international courts – none have materialised. It is time to move beyond legal obfuscation and act in pursuit of a just and lasting peace. Peter Macari Aberdeen