Leader John Swinney says independence could cut household energy bills by a third in the long term

The future of Scottish renewables will underpin the Scottish National party’s Holyrood election campaign , the party leader, John Swinney, has said, as he claimed independence could cut household energy bills by a third in the long term.

At what was billed as the first campaign event before next May’s elections to the Scottish parliament, Swinney declared: “It’s Scotland’s energy” – mirroring the famous 1970s slogan “It’s Scotland’s oil”, which bolstered the SNP’s first Westminster breakthrough.