County MPs call on Government to address rising fuel prices
The Government must do more to tackle the rising cost of fuel, two county MPs have warned.
The price of filling up at the pump has risen significantly in recent months, primarily driven by the war in the Middle East.
Grantham and Bourne MP Gareth Davies (Conservative) welcomed the Government’s decision to extend the freeze on fuel duty until June next year, but warned that it didn’t go far enough.
Mr Davies said: “’We [the Conservatives] have been fighting Labour’s absurd fuel duty hike from the start.
“Therefore, I was pleased to see that in his Budget, the chancellor announced an extension of the fuel duty freeze through to June 2027.
“However, this is too little, too late. The Conservative Party froze fuel duty for 14 years in power.
“Labour can do better than only extending the freeze until June at a time when disposable income is set to drop for households next year.”
Boston and Skegness MP Richard Tice suggested that the country should be producing more of its own oil and gas rather than importing it from abroad.
The deputy leader of Reform UK called on the Government to approve more oil and gas licences to reduce reliance on exports from other countries.
He said: “We need to get growth back into the economy. We need to get jobs and production here [the UK].”
He added that fuel duty is “simply too high” and producing more oil and gas in the UK would help to bring that down.
Mr Tice went on to acknowledge that the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East “haven’t helped the situation” but argued the UK is too reliant on other countries for oil and gas.
He added: “All of the stuff needs to be about how we can make ourselves more resilient – and if you produce more domestic gas, more oil and refine it here, then we will be in a much better place.”
He added that this would ensure that the country was “less exposed” to economic shocks and would help to make fuel cheaper.
He added: “I am very focused on the failings of successive governments to essentially buy British and to back British companies and products. It’s not rocket science.”