Industry experts, Members of Parliament and more than 120,000 drivers have called on the Government and the Chancellor to cut fuel duty in the upcoming Budget.
With the Spring Statement just days away, motorists are looking at Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to introduce a number of changes, including a freeze or cut to the rate of fuel duty.
In 2022, then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak cut the rate of fuel duty by five pence per litre in response to high petrol and diesel costs following rising oil costs after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This was followed by a further extension to the fuel duty cut in 2023, although this reduction is set to expire at the end of March, putting the Government in a tricky position.
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More than 126,000 drivers signed the petition calling for a fuel duty cut
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Later today, Howard Cox, secretary of the FairFuel APPG, will be delivering a petition of 126,092 signatures to Number 10 calling for changes to fuel duty.
This includes a further cut in the rate of fuel duty or keeping the freeze in place of the “regressive levy”.
The FairFuel All Party Parliamentary Group for Motorists and Hauliers announced that it would be holding two pre-Budget events this week in a bid to lobby MPs.
A further event will be held on Wednesday, February 28, one week before the Budget, for MPs to register their political position on fuel duty and PumpWatch.
Cox, who founded FairFuelUK, said: “Deep down, the Treasury knows full well that motorists are a major solution to alleviating the chronic cost of living crisis and should not be treated as perennial cash cows.
“Time to give drivers more than a moral break, and recognise they already pay way too much in charges and taxes, and do what is financially right for the economy and cut fuel duty BIG.”
The letter has already been signed by prominent Conservative MPs including Priti Patel, Suella Braverman, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Iain Duncan Smith.
A total of 37 MPs and Lords have signed the letter, urging Chancellor Jeremy Hunt not to raise fuel duty, cut the rate and help Britain’s motorists.
Craig Mackinlay, MP for South Thanet and Chair of the FairFuelUK APPG, echoed the calls from Howard Cox, highlighting how unpopular the policy decisions are with Conservative voters.
He added: “Fuel duty also hits poorer people the hardest as they tend to spend, as a proportion, twice as much of their disposable income on fuel than wealthier people.
“In this his last Budget before the next General Election, the Chancellor must reject the economically ruinous demands of the green lobby and put the needs and interests of the British people first.”
In the letter, FairFuelUK states that the majority of Britons are dependent on their vehicles for their freedom, with 91 per cent of people using a car at least once a month, according to data from 2021.
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Jeremy Hunt will unveil the Spring Statement on March 6
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Jonathan Gullis, another signatory of the FairFuel letter, said the Conservative Party had “championed” motorists, as evidenced by the fuel duty freeze last year.
The MP for Stoke-on-Trent North said: “From the tradesperson getting out to make an honest wage to the parent dropping kids from A to B, the Chancellor mustn’t punish people getting out and about.
“In areas like Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove, and Talke, pro-driver policies, like the Prime Minister’s pragmatic decision to push back our net-zero targets, are popular with voters.
“In this year’s Budget, the Chancellor needs to do the same and help drive growth in our country’s great industrial towns and cities and rural heartlands.”