The Right to Food has never been more needed

I am appealing to people throughout the region to support my Right to Food Bill proposal before the consultation closes on Wednesday February 16.

In the wake of Ofgem’s eye-watering increase in the energy price cap last week, which will see already struggling households having to wrestle between paying for heating or paying for food, the Right to Food has never been more needed.

If the SNP and the Greens hadn’t played party politics and kicked my Bill back, we could have already been working on ensuring the Right to Food is enshrined in Scots law.

Instead, we are having to re-consult at a time when the country is already grappling with a cost of living crisis.

On Thursday, Ofgem announced that from April the energy price cap would rise 54 per cent to £1,971 – that is an extra £693 households will have to find just to keep their homes warm and the lights on.

Forthcoming increases to the interest rate and rises in National Insurance payments will exacerbate the situation.

It is heart-breaking. I have had food bank helpers in tears saying we can’t wait another year for the Right to Food to kick in. People need help now.

Food bank volunteers need assurance that the invaluable support they provide in their communities will end one day, when wages and benefits are adequate enough for proud families to be able to stop using the food banks.

New statistics show rising homelessness across Scotland.

Food bank use is soaring. Illnesses of the past like rickets and malnutrition have reappeared. In a rich nation like Scotland, in the 21st century, this is appalling. It’s Dickensian.

People are struggling right now – it’s time the First Minister stops commentating on the cost of living crisis and starts doing something about it. She could start by allowing her MSPs to support my proposal.

Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands Labour MSP.