Western Isles SNP MSP Alasdair Allan has asked Labour to justify why they failed to support moves last night in the Scottish Parliament for fairer fuel prices, calling Labour’s stance in the debate “a truly pathetic display”.
Alasdair Allan, who spoke in the debate to argue that the UK Government should abandon its plans for a fuel duty increase, and instead introduce a fuel price regulator, commented:
“Last night the Scottish Parliament made its feelings very clear about fuel prices. The Parliament – largely – overcame party differences to say with one voice that the Westminster Government has to start listening to the outcry at fuel prices in rural Scotland.
“Scotland’s islands”
“I say “largely”, because one party, the Labour party, spent the entire debate arguing against a fuel price regulator, which was the Scottish Government’s central demand to London. A fuel price regulator would essentially require that fuel taxes came down when the price of oil was high.
“It is very disappointing that Labour disagree with this idea, and that they came forward with no meaning alternative for keeping fuel prices down in the long term. It is even more disappointing that they abstained on the vote when the Parliament issued its call for the London Government to take action on fuel prices. Why the Labour party in Scotland took such a completely useless stance on this issue is for them to explain, not least in the Highlands and islands.
“The SNP meanwhile, goes into this election pressing the UK Government to honour its long overdue commitment to cut fuel duty in island areas, to abandon its plans for a fuel duty hike next month, and to introduce a fuel duty regulator to help overcome the wild fluctuations we are seeing in the price of fuel.
“Scotland is an energy rich country, and there is absolutely no reason why Scotland’s islands should pay more for their fuel than anywhere else in the world.”
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