SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn accused Rishi Sunak of “raiding the pockets of ordinary Scots" ahead of a hike in energy prices.
Speaking in the Commons during Prime Minister's Questions, the Aberdeen South MP said the surge would lead to a £15bn windfall for the Treasury which could be better spent on keeping the current Energy Price Guarantee in place.
Rishi Sunak hit out at the SNP politician, pointing to the party's splits over energy policy.
Mr Fynn and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon disagree over the need for new oil and gas licences for exploration in the North Sea.
READ MORE: SNP Westminster chief at odds with Nicola Sturgeon over oil opposition
Currently, the government’s Energy Price Guarantee means that a typical dual fuel bill is around £2,500 a year.
However, from April this is set to rise to £3,000.
Wholesale gas prices are falling. In their last forecast, Ofgem, the industry regulator predicted that - without the guarantee - the energy price cap would be around £4,279.
It is widely expected that falling wholesale gas prices mean that will come down when the regulator gives its next update on Monday.
Mr Flynn told the Commons: “Wholesale gas prices have fallen by 75 per
cent since their peak, yet in just a matter of weeks the British Government, the Westminster Government intends to increase energy bills by a further £500.
"What would motivate a Prime Minister to do such a thing?
Mr Sunak replied: “What we are doing is providing tens of billions of pounds of support for people with their energy bills, particularly the most vulnerable.
“What we’re also doing, opposed by the SNP is to invest in producing more home-grown gas here in the UK and the North Sea."
The Prime Minister then referenced comments attributed to an SNP MP over the weekend critical of the Scottish Government.
“As one of his own MPs said this week, that if the SNP were a pizza company, their products would be slow, wrong and costly.
"I would say to him it's time to focus on the issues that matter to the people of Scotland and producing more energy is absolutely one of them."
"I'm not sure that inferring that energy bills don't matter to the people of Scotland is a winning strategy for this Prime Minister," the SNP politician replied. "But let's get real, the fact that wholesale gas prices have fallen by 75% means a windfall to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of around £15 billion.
"So what they're saying, as it stands, is that they intend to raid the pockets of ordinary Scots whilst lining the pockets of Westminster.
"It's time to set aside any notion of an energy piece increase, instead protect households by perhaps reducing bills by £500."
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The Prime Minister said the best way to bring energy bills down was halving inflation and producing "more homegrown energy here in the United Kingdom."
"That's something that this government supports. Maybe he could confirm whether the SNP supports that," Mr Sunak added.
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