John Swinney said the SNP will put a price cap on essential food items in supermarkets.
The SNP leader unveiled the radical policy as he launched the party’s manifesto for the Scottish Parliament election.
He said: “People are, quite simply, struggling to afford food.”
The First Minister said the SNP would set a maximum price at which some “essential” items could be sold at.
He said: “I can announce today that, if re-elected, your SNP government will use our Public Health powers to set a maximum price for essential food items.
“Reducing the price of the weekly shop. Putting more money in people’s pockets.
“Bread, milk, cheese, eggs, rice, chicken. Everyday items that make up a decent diet.”
The manifesto states there would be statutory price ceilings on a basket of between 20 and 50 essential items at large supermarkets.
It would mean those stores would have to have one line of the essentials on th list available at the capped price.
The policy could set the Scottish Government on a collision course with the UK Government.
The UK Government could block the rule under the Internal Market Act but the SNP said as a public health measure, similar to Minimum Pricing of Alcohol, it hoped it would not.
The initial reaction from the UK Government was not favourable.
A UK Government source said: “This is an incoherent and undeliverable policy that risks costing the Scottish Government millions in legal bills.
“John Swinney has invented a policy more likely to put money in the pockets of lawyers than the pockets of working people.
“The UK Government is focused on taking immediate action on the cost of living – like cutting fuel bills now.”
Others have noted the potential for the policy to be blocked.
The institute for Fiscal Studies said it could be ruled out.
David Phillips, Head of Devolved and Local Government Finance at the IFS, said: “Depending on how this is implemented, it could be a radical but risky policy – or a paper tiger.
“It is also possible that the UK government would decide it is incompatible with the Internal Market Act.
Meanwhile the Tories branded it “ill-thought out”.
Murdo Fraser, Scottish Conservative business and economy spokesperson, said: “This is another back-of-a-fag-packet plan from John Swinney that is only designed to create another SNP rammy with the UK Government.
“He's whipping up the nationalist grievance machine in a shameless bid to pander to his supporters, when he knows fine well he doesn't have the powers to implement this.
“People across Scotland are rightly worried about rising bills right now and deserve better than these ill-thought-out plans from the SNP.”
Share