Last week, official figures revealed that inflation has soared to a 40-year high, rising to 9 per cent in the year to April.

Much of this rise is due to the huge hike in the price cap on energy bills, which was raised by 54 per cent for the average household at the start of April.

Rising energy prices and the cost of living crisis is one of the biggest issues I’ve found talking to constituents in Fife.

One brilliant local organisation supporting people – Greener Kirkcaldy – has found that 35 per cent of households in Fife are living in fuel poverty, spending more than 10 per cent of their annual income trying to heat their homes.

It’s always those on the lowest incomes are hit the hardest. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has warned that low-income single-adult households could soon be forced to spend most of their income on gas and electricity.

But as folks across Fife struggle at the sharp end, all the UK Government is offering is false solutions.

I recently asked the UK Tory Minister for Energy what more he planned to do to support people with astronomical bills, it was clear he was out of ideas. According to Mr Hands, the issue was under a ‘watching brief.’

It’s not acceptable for the UK Government to adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach when people are going hungry so they can pay their household energy bills.

Nor is it right for Westminster to pedal the fiction that investment in fossil fuels or expanding nuclear power will help ease the pressure on household bills.

Let’s be clear. The cost of living crisis is fuelled by soaring oil and gas prices. The only way to slash energy bills is to replace gas with green energy.

The EU already know this, that’s why they are backing renewables through a new multi-billion-pound investment. In contrast, the UK Government Minister Kwasi Kwarteng is fuelling this headlong rush by relabelling dirty gas as green to fast-track developments like the Jackdaw field.

We need decisive action, to get us out of this mess. But with energy policy being reserved to Westminster, we’re fighting the crisis with one hand tied our backs.

But, with Greens in Government, we’re taking big steps.

We’re doubling onshore wind capacity and investing record amounts in marine energy. We’re enabling and encouraging positive travel choices, with record investment in active travel and free bus travel for all under 22s.

We’re pioneering serious plans to decarbonise our homes and remove poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty. And whilst Westminster doubles down on cuts to Universal Credit, we’re doubling the Scottish Child Payment to help struggling families.

Unlike the Tories in Westminster, we know there’s more to do. We’ll keep working to shift our reliance away from oil and gas, ensure everyone has a warm home they can afford to heat, and a planet that’s worth living on.

But, the UK Government’s failure to act is a dereliction of duty at a time when millions across the UK simply cannot make ends meet.