Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has confirmed that the Government remains committed to providing fair petrol and diesel prices to Britons, despite the prospect of a potential fuel duty hike.
Speaking in the Commons earlier today, Conservative MP Luke Evans, asked the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero about a PumpWatch fuel price checker scheme.
PumpWatch is a tool pledged by the Government to display the price of petrol and diesel at forecourts around the country to help motorists find the most competitive costs in their area.
In January, the Government launched a consultation on the new PumpWatch scheme and how it could potentially work for forecourt operators and motorists.
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A PumpWatch consultation was launched by the previous Conservative Government in January
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The proposals aimed to ensure that forecourts across the country would be legally required to share live information on their pump prices within 30 minutes of any changes.
Evans, who has represented Hinckley and Bosworth since 2019, noted how the Conservatives had frozen fuel duty for 11 years and cut the rate by five pence per litre in 2022.
He added: “When it comes to the CMA, the Government instructed them to carry out a review and we came up with PumpWatch.
“The consultation was done in January. When I wrote in September to the Government to say ‘What are the results of that consultation?’, they said they were looking at it and would consider it in due course.
“Is this a priority for the Government? If not, what other ways are they going to ensure that petrol prices are kept low at the pump? Are they going to freeze fuel duty?”
In response, Labour MP Ed Miliband stated: “I won’t comment on the Budget, obviously. We’re very sympathetic on PumpWatch. We think it is important that there is a fair deal for consumers.”
According to RAC Fuel Watch, motorists currently face average costs of 134.46p per litre for petrol and 139.15p for diesel at forecourts.
The RAC, as well as other motoring organisations, are predicting that these prices will continue to fall in the coming days and weeks.
With the Budget only a few weeks away on October 30, all eyes will be on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to outline the measures the Government will take in relation to fuel costs.
While immediate action has been taken by the Government, a spending black hole of £16.4billion still exists after the previous Conservative administration.
Some industry experts have suggested that the Government could look to fuel duty as a way to cut their spending and save money by axing the 5p per litre cut.
It was first introduced by then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which forced global oil prices to spiral.
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Rachel Reeves has clarified that ‘tough decisions’ will need to be made in the October Budget
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An HM Treasury spokesperson told GB News: “Following the spending audit, the Chancellor has been clear that difficult decisions lie ahead on spending, welfare and tax to fix the foundations of our economy and address the £22 billion hole in the public finances left by the last government.
“Decisions on how to do that will be taken at the Budget in the round.”
