Overview
- At a Glasgow launch event, John Swinney cited analysis produced for Ofgem and proposals such as scrapping the UK's nuclear levy, expanding storage and curbing constraint payments to argue Scotland could secure the lowest wholesale power prices in western Europe.
- He linked cheaper electricity to easing household costs and freeing money for the NHS, casting low energy prices as the foundation of a wider plan to attract investment and jobs.
- He said the SNP will seek a Holyrood majority in May 2026 to press its case for independence, but he offered no clear route if Westminster refuses another referendum beyond calling for emphatic support.
- He urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to rethink the energy profits levy, warning it threatens a 'second wave' of 1980s‑style deindustrialisation in Scotland’s oil and gas heartlands.
- Scottish Labour and the Conservatives criticized the push as a distraction from pressures on public services, questioning the evidence behind the promised savings.