THE PLANNED rise to energy bills in October has been branded "unimaginably horrendous" by Scotland's finance secretary.

Kate Forbes said Conservative ministers were allowing people to struggle while they "sit on their hands", after Ofgem confirmed the cap would rise to around £2800 in the autumn.

It is an increase of more than £800 in fuel bills for the average household, which has already seen a £700 rise from last month. 

READ MORE: Energy bills set to rise a further £800 in months

Ms Forbes tweeted about the news, saying the UK Government had the powers to help but were not doing anything.

She said: "Whats it going to take for the UK Gov to act - UKG has the powers over energy regulation, the budgetary powers to substantially increase funding & the social security powers to help people BUT Tory Ministers sit on their hands as people struggle.

"We’re investing substantially in mitigating the impact - but it is mitigation rather than fixing the problem at source. E.g. we’ve established the Fuel Insecurity Fund - helping those most at risk, but they are only at risk because the Tories have done nothing to regulate & help." 

Labour shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the rise was "extremely concerning" and questioned what it would take for Rishi Sunak to implement help for people struggling.

She said: "This is extremely concerning and will cause huge worry for families already facing soaring bills and rising inflation. 

“How many more alarm bells does the Chancellor need to hear before he acts? The government have got to get a grip on this crisis and to protect families and our economy. 

“Yet again, Labour calls urgently on the government to bring forward an emergency budget, with a windfall tax on oil and gas producer profits to lower bills for families.”

Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, questioned what the point of having a regulator was, accusing Ofgem of being "loathe" to regulate at all. 

He said: "Whatever the context, whatever the excuses, a price cap that rises by £1500 in a single year – more than double what it was in 2021 – is no price cap at all. Indeed you might start to question what is the point of an energy regulator that seems so loathe to actually regulate in a meaningful way."

He also raised concern about people in rural communities, who typically earn less and spend more on heating, and called for an emergency budget from the Chancellor.

He explained: "A £2800 price cap would represent almost 10% of the UK median income.

"The thing about median incomes is that half of the population make less than that, particularly in the rural communities which struggle most with heating challenges. Millions of families risk being put into fuel poverty – a blight that we already know too well in the isles – if action is not taken.

“We need to treat this as the once-in-a-generation crisis that it is.

"There is still time to change course before winter comes but the government must get off their hands and recognise that this is not something that can be dealt with by half measures. We need an emergency Budget now."