Valerie opposes Fuel Duty Rise in the Next Budget

Analysis has shown that a family in the Black Country will be spending £295 more on fuel a year than at the beginning of this Parliament.

Today HM Opposition has called on the government to rule out a fuel duty rise in their next budget, if OBR projections show it’s affordable, as they reveal that a typical household in the Black Country will be spending £295 more a year on fuel than at the start of this Parliament in 2019.

If there is additional headroom in the upcoming Budget, the party is calling for it to go towards the cost of living crisis as a priority, starting by ensuring that fuel duty will not rise in the Budget. A failure to act, Labour says, could add 12p to a litre of petrol which would be the greatest increase in petrol prices ever recorded.

Petrol prices remain at historic highs, with figures showing that unleaded petrol prices are still a third higher than in 2020. It comes as the party presses home how under the Tories families are not feeling better off, and underlines 13 years of failure on energy security and the economy which are leaving too many people trying to make ends meet instead of thriving.

 Valerie Vaz, MP for Walsall South, said:

“Across the West Midlands, people will be asking themselves – do I feel better off under this Government.  With price rises like these, the answer will be no. 13 years of this Government’s failure and wasted opportunities have left us exposed to an energy crisis and working people paying the price.

That’s why HM Opposition is calling on the Chancellor to rule out any further rise on fuel duty in his next budget. If he doesn’t act, this could add an extra 12p to a litre of petrol, taking already record high prices through the roof.