STEWART PATERSON

AS the first flurry of snow fell outside Holyrood it was fitting that fuel poverty should be the main topic at First Minister's Questions.

Nicola Sturgeon again made remarks about reaching consensus but it was far from the season of goodwill.

Jackie Baillie said there are two million people in Scotland suffering from fuel poverty this winter, people "making the choice between heating and eating" she said.

The First Minister said it was down to the energy companies increasing prices and agreed there were too many people in difficulty. It was "unacceptable levels", she said.

Then the chamber got chilly. The SNP was "letting down the poor people of Scotland" said Ms Baillie. The figures were even higher as the SNP had changed the method of calculating fuel poverty numbers and in the last two years when it was Nicola Sturgeons brief, fuel poverty went up, said Ms Baillie.

The flakes of snow were visible and the frostiness evident behind the smiles, but Ms Sturgeon was warming up.

The SNP had invested £300m in mitigation measures with more to come. Instead of Labour wanting to freeze bills she urged for them to be cut by removing the burden of the renewable levy from householders.

And one parting shot. "Labour" she said "had not once asked John Swinney for more money for fuel poverty" during budget talks."

It was another FMQ that generated more heat than light, but sadly not the kind that will keep people warm over the winter.