On the eve of the Budget, FairFuelUK founder Howard Cox joined with MPs Lewis Cocking, Wendy Morton, Aphra Brandreth, Peter Bedford, and Lord Craig Mackinlay, to deliver a 152,000-signature petition to Downing Street calling on the Chancellor to either cut or freeze fuel duty.
The letter points to research which shows that fuel duty rises slow economic growth, cost jobs, stoke inflation, and reduce consumer spending.
It also calls for the Labour government to continue the delivery and rollout of FairFuelUK’s PumpWatch scheme, launched under the previous government.
Lewis Cocking MP said: ‘I have been proud to help FairFuelUK with their 15-year successful cross-party campaign to keep fuel duty frozen in the upcoming budget.
“So many of my constituents in Broxbourne rely on their cars, vans and lorries to get by, and they can’t afford to be punished by yet another Labour tax rise.”
Howard Cox said: “Fuel prices are closely linked to inflation, with increases often triggering rises in the cost of goods and services.
“At a time when inflation remains a concern for policymakers, reducing fuel duty will help to moderate price increases across the economy. This would benefit not only motorists but also businesses and consumers more broadly.
“Lower fuel costs can make the UK a more attractive destination for investment, particularly in sectors such as logistics, delivery, and manufacturing.
“By cutting fuel duty, the government would signal its commitment to supporting enterprise and innovation, potentially encouraging businesses to expand and create new jobs.
“It’s a no-brainer, Chancellor, Cut fuel duty, put more money into the UK’s 37 million drivers’ pockets and watch the economy grow.”
The RHA has also raised it concerns, recently warning that scrapping the fuel duty freeze in the Autumn Budget could increase household living costs by £7.3bn between now and 2029.
A 5p fuel duty increase would deliver higher prices at the pump and higher distribution costs, pushing up prices for food, drink and energy, according to recent research carried out on behalf of the RHA.
Logistics UK has also made known its opposition to anyplans by the Chancellor to raise fuel duty. The association argues that, until alternative fuels are widely available and used across the industry, any increase in fuel prices would act as a brake on the sector’s growth and could have an inflationary impact across the economy
