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Six political party leaders recently participated in a special debate hosted by the BBC as part of the lead-up to the upcoming Scottish Parliament election. Following the broadcast, BBC Verify took the opportunity to investigate and assess some of the claims made during the discussion.
One point of contention involved energy costs. SNP leader John Swinney criticized Labour’s promises by stating: “Labour came in, promised to reduce energy costs by £300, and by the summer energy costs for every household will be £700 higher than Labour promised they would be.” However, the £300 figure Swinney cited referred to a forecast related to 2030, envisioning reductions achievable if Labour met their goal of generating almost entirely low-carbon electricity by then. This figure was not a commitment regarding current energy prices. When Labour assumed office, the energy price cap for a typical household paying by direct debit on a dual fuel tariff was £1,568 annually across Scotland, England, and Wales. Predictions for the summer price cap vary, contingent on global events such as conditions in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. Cornwall Insight analysts currently estimate the cap might increase to £1,861 by July, amounting to a rise of about £293 since Labour took office, though this remains uncertain.
Regarding employment in the North Sea oil and gas sector, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay asserted that 1,000 jobs are being lost each month. This statistic was drawn from projections made by the Energy Transition Institute (ETI), a think-tank connected to Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. While ETI forecast a total loss of approximately 1,000 jobs monthly until 2030, they clarified to BBC Verify that direct losses are expected to be between 600 and 800 per month. The remaining figures relate to indirect job losses in industries linked to the oil and gas sector, such as hospitality and transport. Over the past decade, according to a Scottish Affairs Committee report, around 70,000 jobs have disappeared in this industry, averaging roughly 7,000 annually or 583 monthly.
Another topic discussed was healthcare waiting times. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar drew attention to the number of patients waiting over two years for treatment in Scotland, comparing it to England by noting: “How many people in Scotland are waiting more than two years? 5,000. In England, 10 times the size, it’s 300.” Data from Public Health Scotland, however, does not specifically detail individuals waiting more than two years but rather ongoing waits exceeding 104 weeks (two years) as of February. The reported figure was 5,291 ongoing waits for new outpatient, inpatient, or day-case appointments or procedures. It is important to note that in the Scottish data, a single patient might appear on multiple waiting lists, which can influence interpretation of these statistics
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