Reform UK has pledged to cut fuel duty by 20p per litre if they gain mass support in the upcoming general election.
Leader Richard Tice rolled out Reform UK’s battle plan for the general election, announcing that the party would stand in every seat in England, Scotland and Wales.
Speaking at the event in Westminster, Richard Tice spoke of his optimism ahead of the election and what the party would do for motorists.
Tice, who also presents on GB News, said there were lots of taxes that needed to be cut to support businesses and drivers, singling out fuel duty.
Richard Tice has pledged to support drivers
PA
The former Member of European Parliament for East of England said: “We should be cutting 20p off every litre of fuel.
“It’ll make a huge difference to individuals and to small businesses.
“It is brilliant that our fantastic London mayoral candidate Howard Cox, who’s here today, he of course has been the champion of freezing fuel duty for many years.”
He added that the party was ready for the general election, whenever that may be, promising to contest every seat.
This is the clearest signal of intent from a political party in the lead-up to the general election, vowing to directly intervene with the price of petrol and diesel.
The Government introduced a cut of five pence per litre to the rate of fuel duty in 2022 following the rising cost of oil globally and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This was extended again in March 2023, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt saying it was necessary to extend the cut for a further 12 months to protect drivers.
It was estimated that the fuel duty cut would save the average driver around £100 over the course of the year.
There were hopes that the Government would issue an update on fuel duty changes in the Autumn Statement, although these hopes were quickly dashed.
Speaking at the time, Howard Cox, who is standing for London’s mayoral campaign as a Reform UK candidate, slammed the lack of Government intervention.
He added: “The threat of Rishi Sunak’s Budget temporary 5p cut in duty being reversed in the 2024 Budget still hangs over motorists' heads.
“That event could have been quashed completely today. A missed set of election opportunities that may doom the Conservative Party to the opposition benches for a generation.
“It's clear that the UK's 37 million drivers persist as pure cash cows, not the fiscal solution to stimulating economic growth they so deserve but remain as a chronic bottomless pit of hard-earned cash to pay off the Government's mounting debt of fiscal incompetence.”
According to RAC Fuel Watch, the price of both petrol and diesel should continue to fall in the near future.
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The fuel duty cut is expected to expire in March
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Drivers are paying an average of 140.45p for petrol and 148.28p per litre for diesel, although savings of around 3p per litre can be found at supermarket forecourts.
