Reform UK have taken fuel matters into their own hands, helping reduce prices by 25p in Derbyshire.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has paid for a cut to petrol prices at a service station in Derbyshire in a bid to help drivers with rising costs following the Middle East crisis.
The party has called on the Government to axe fuel duty to protect petrol and diesel drivers at the pump amid soaring oil prices stemming from tensions in the Middle East.
The Reform UK leader, and former Conservative MP Robert Jenrick, who is now the party’s economy spokesperson, shared how the party has managed to reduce petrol prices by 25p a litre at the Newhaven services near Buxton.
The move has now seen a litre of diesel priced at £1.43 for one day, while a litre of petrol has been cut to £1.21.
Although the price of oil has fallen over the last 24 hours, road users are still experiencing soaring fuel prices at the pumps as a result of the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Motorists are currently facing prices of 137.51p per litre for petrol and 150.97p for diesel, with RAC Fuel Watch predicting that costs were “likely to rise” in the near future.
To help drivers struggling at the pumps, Nigel Farage has now pledged to reinstate the 5p fuel duty cut if Reform UK are voted into power in the next election.
The party also revealed today plans to cut subsidies for carbon capture projects, which help remove carbon dioxide from industrial areas, and to reduce net zero grants for bio-electric cars.
Mr Farage said: “We will spend the next few months trying to shame Rachel Reeves into cancelling [the 5p fuel duty cut].
“But if she doesn’t – whether because she’s running scared of the Greens or in hock to her far-left backbenchers – then Reform will reverse it in our first budget.”
The previous Conservative Government introduced a 5p per litre cut to the rate of fuel duty in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which sent global fuel prices soaring.
Labour has continued to extend the fuel duty pledge in recent years, although it confirmed that it would roll back the measures over the next 18 months.
Mr Jenrick said: “Rachel Reeves is delivering a brutal blow to hard-working people. They’re already being hammered by the cost of living crisis, and now she’s raising petrol prices at the worst possible moment.
“Reform UK stands squarely with alarm clock Britain: the people who get up, fill the tank, drive to work, and keep this country running. We will always stand up for working people and help lower household costs for families.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in the Autumn Budget that the fuel duty cut would be reversed by 1p on September 1, 2026, 2p on December 1, 2026 and 2p on March 1, 2027.
The Chancellor also confirmed that the planned inflation increase for 2026-2027 would not take place, although fuel duty rates will rise with inflation from April 2027.
Speaking in the Commons yesterday, the Labour MP for Leeds West and Pudsey said measures taken by the Government had lowered petrol costs by more than 8p per litre compared to plans Labour inherited at the election.
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Ms Reeves added that the Government’s Fuel Finder tool was being rolled out for motorists, with 90 per cent of forecourts already providing data to the scheme.
She noted that officials were working to integrate the technology into map applications to help drivers see the cheapest fuel prices in their local area without leaving their cars.
In a fresh warning to major retailers and supermarkets, the Chancellor said she would not hesitate to crack down on businesses taking advantage of motorists with extortionate prices.
Similarly, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been instructed to “remain vigilant” about potential profiteering by forecourts looking to take advantage of a captive driving audience.
Posting on social media site Truth Social overnight, President Donald Trump warned Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, where roughly one-fifth of the world’s supply of oil flows through.
He threatened “death, fire and fury” upon Iran if it attempts to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, noting that the US would hit Iran “20 times harder” than anything they have been hit with so far during the war.
“This is a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait. Hopefully, it is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated,” Mr Trump wrote.
