𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

With petrol prices rising again amid global energy pressures, a senior cost‑of‑living adviser has suggested Sir Keir Starmer should consider keeping the 5p fuel duty cut in place past its scheduled September expiry — and we want your view. The 5p reduction in fuel duty was introduced by the previous Conservative government in 2022 to help motorists cope with high prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is currently frozen until September, after more than four years.

Lord Walker, the Prime Minister’s cost‑of‑living adviser and executive chairman of Iceland supermarkets, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that, given the current situation, ministers “need to be thinking and talking about extending it or enlarging it”. He pointed to rising costs driven in part by the war involving the US and Israel and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

You can have your say about whether you agree Keir Starmer should extend the cut in fuel duty in our poll below.

Sir Keir has said the planned rise will be kept “under review in light of what is happening in Iran”, but has not committed to an extension.

The Government has so far focused support on other areas, including extra help for those who use heating oil and a new energy price cap that took effect on April 1. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said any future support would be targeted at “those who need it most”, and a Treasury spokesperson said ministers are taking “a responsible approach to supporting working people in the national interest”.

Opposition parties and some Labour MPs have urged the government to go further. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has called for broader tax cuts on energy bills, while the Lib Dems have proposed an emergency 10p cut to fuel duty.