A cross-party group of MPs will deliver a 152,000-signature FairFuelUK petition to 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, calling on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to cut or at least freeze fuel duty in next week’s Winter Budget.
The delegation will be led by Lewis Cocking, MP for Broxbourne, amid rising concern that the Treasury is preparing increases that campaigners say would hit households, small businesses and rural communities hard.
The appeal comes as speculation intensifies in Westminster that Reeves may raise fuel duty by 5p per litre, reverse Rishi Sunak’s temporary 2022 “Ukraine cut”, introduce 3p-per-mile charges for EVs, or revive the long-abandoned fuel price escalator. FairFuelUK argues such measures would be economically damaging and deeply unpopular, warning they could worsen the cost-of-living crisis and stifle business investment.
Campaigners expressed frustration that despite Labour MPs being invited by constituents to a pre-Budget parliamentary reception, only one attended — and refused to say whether they backed a cut, freeze or increase. FairFuelUK says this shows the party is “ignoring its own voters”, pointing to polling indicating widespread support for keeping fuel duty frozen.
In its 15th annual public poll, which has already received over 60,000 responses, three-quarters of 2024 Labour voters said they want fuel duty cut or frozen. One in ten Labour voters said they want it scrapped entirely. FairFuelUK founder Howard Cox said Reeves risks a political backlash if she raises duty now.
“Keeping fuel duty frozen will be one of the best fiscal stimuli for this unpopular government to restore confidence,” he said. “Hiking it could be the final political blow in a succession of self-inflicted disasters.”
Fuel duty has been frozen for 15 years and currently sits 6p lower than when Labour was last in power. FairFuelUK argues that keeping it frozen has held inflation down and supported the Treasury by reducing price pressures.
The group warns that fuel prices remain one of the biggest costs facing families, commuters, tradespeople and rural communities — many of whom lack viable public transport alternatives. They say a cut would put money directly back into household budgets, support job creation and stimulate economic activity across logistics, delivery, manufacturing and small business sectors.
FairFuelUK cites analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, which predicts that raising fuel duty would deliver minimal short-term revenue and could cause Treasury fuel tax income to collapse by more than 60% within five years, as higher prices reduce consumption.
The petition also urges Reeves to continue the rollout of PumpWatch, the pricing transparency scheme designed to prevent excessive profiteering in the fuel supply chain. The Competition and Markets Authority found that supermarket fuel margins doubled between 2017 and 2023, rising from 4% to 9%, with non-supermarket forecourts increasing margins to nearly 11%. FairFuelUK says current pump prices are 5p to 9p per litre higher than they should be and wants PumpWatch given full legislative power under Labour.
As the Winter Budget approaches, FairFuelUK says the Chancellor’s decision on fuel duty will be a defining moment for households and businesses already under severe financial strain.
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MPs to deliver 152,000-signature petition urging Chancellor to cut or freeze fuel duty