Leading pressure group FairFuelUK has called out Keir Starmer, Ed Miliband and the Labour Party for not fully introducing a petrol station scheme which could help motorists save money. Howard Cox, Founder of FairFuelUK, has blasted the Government for not finalising a new PumpWatch scheme consulted on by the Conservatives over 18 months ago.
PumpWatch would legally require all fuel stations to share live information on their petrol and diesel prices. Information would have to be updated within 30 minutes of any changes, allowing road users to quickly find the cheapest option. The Tories backed the scheme in January 2024, but Howard claims the scheme is not yet fully live.
Howard said: “Opportunistic profiteering continues to be rife at the pumps. Inflated Diesel Prices (the commercial lifeblood of any economy), in particular, are damaging economic growth, impacting inflation and businesses hard.
“The Conservative Government introduced FairFuelUK's PumpWatch in January 2024; yet, this pricing watchdog has been scrapped by Labour in their pursuit of their bankrupting Net Zero fantasy and their continued ideological and political hatred of drivers."
A consultation into the system found that drivers could save up to 3p per litre on fuel. According to the report, a similar scheme in Queensland, Australia has allowed drivers to save an average $93 (£48) per year on fuel costs.
The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) voluntary reporting scheme has improved with firms enjoying unrestricted use and daily price updates from retailers. Experts have always predicted the full PumpWatch system may not be up and running until beginning of next year.
Claire Coutinho MP and former Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, said: "We set up Pumpwatch to prevent drivers from being overcharged at the pumps. With the price of oil falling, motorists should be seeing lower prices. However, Ed Miliband only cares about his eco zealotry, not ensuring drivers get a fair price."
Earlier this year, Downing Street suggested that they were “working at pace” to introduce the scheme.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has also backed the need PumpWatch, even praising the system as a true “game changer”.
The CMA said: “The fuel finder scheme set to launch this year should be a game changer for drivers, allowing them to find the cheapest fuel prices while boosting competition between fuel retailers.”
