Independence could lower Scots’ energy bills by a third, Swinney tells voters

Household energy bills could be a third cheaper in an independent Scotland, John Swinney has insisted – adding that reduced energy costs could also boost the NHS and the economy.

The First Minister argued that Scotland could be “better off with independence”, adding that leaving the UK would put “Scotland’s energy in Scotland’s hands”.

With five months until Scots go to the polls in the next Holyrood election – in which the SNP is campaigning to win a majority of seats in a bid to force a second independence vote – the party leader spoke out about the “fresh start that only independence offers”.

And he used his speech in Glasgow to warn Sir Keir Starmer that if he fails to act on the tax paid by energy firms, the Prime Minister could follow in the footsteps of Margaret Thatcher and beco