Fossil fuel giants blasted over bumper profits as Scots face 'sky high' bills and Europe burns

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Fossil fuel giants have been accused of raking in massive profits off the backs of the poor as Scots continue to wrestle with “sky-high” energy bills.The SNP said Tory ministers were now “sitting on their hands” and doing nothing after Westminster cut off its previous cost of living schemes to provide relief for bill payers.It comes as oil giant Shell is today set to announce a shocking windfall of more than £4billion over the last three months - while the planet has burned.A spate of energy firms will reveal their latest bumper profits in the coming days at a time when extreme heat and wildfires have savaged Europe, the US and Asia.Yesterday, Norwegian energy titan Equinor - in charge of the controversial Rosebank oil field planned off Shetland - posted colossal second-quarter profits of £5.8billion before tax.Shell is set to announce earnings of some £4.3billion - while next week, BP is expected to reveal profits of nearly £3billion.The UK’s biggest household supplier British Gas is preparing to report all-time high profits of more than £585million for the first half of 2023.

Other suppliers like ScottishPower and EDF are also expected to show healthy earnings after the Tory government’s energy price cap was lifted.But the Nats warned that winter energy bills are still forecast to stay at historically high levels this year - up by 90 per cent compared to 2021 levels.SNP energy spokesman Alan Brown: “The UK Government is sitting on its hands and allowing energy companies to rake in record profits at the very same time that households are paying historically high prices on their energy bills.”The MP added: “Instead of withdrawing support from those who need it most, the UK Government should follow the example of the