In view of the sharp rise in the cost of living, the Scottish regional government wants to temporarily freeze rents in the British part of the country.

The Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday in the regional parliament in Edinburgh that it was a "humanitarian emergency" and that she would immediately introduce appropriate legislation. A moratorium should also apply to forced evictions, as the politician from the Scottish National Party (SNP) announced.

Sturgeon also plans to put a cap on fares at the recently nationalized rail company ScotRail. This should apply at least until March 2023, the head of government continued.

Message to Truss

Sturgeon, who is campaigning for the independence of her part of the country, should not have chosen the timing of her announcement by chance just before the inaugural speech of the new British Prime Minister Liz Truss. It was expected that the Truss, who was appointed to office by the Queen on Tuesday, will shortly present a plan for how the recently significantly increased costs for gas and electricity for households and companies are to be limited.

Sturgeon called on Truss to also freeze energy prices. These are the responsibility of the central government in London. "The Scottish Government doesn't have the power to stop your energy prices from going up, but we can make sure your rents don't go up," Sturgeon said.