British drivers are set to be punished once again, with petrol and diesel fees likely to soar in the coming days if the United States' strike on Israel impacts oil supplies. If Rachel Reeves’ Vehicle Excise Duty car tax hikes this spring weren’t enough, motorists will spend March dipping into their wallets with staggering rises on the way after military action in Iran could disrupt global oil supplies.
This is probably the final straw for motorists, and who can really blame them? Labour's energy policy has left drivers hung out to dry, and families and commuters will now pay the price. The AA has predicted that turmoil and bombing across the Middle East will disrupt oil distribution and lead to "price hikes”.
AA President Edmund King has stressed motorists could even be seeing "record prices at the pumps” within as little as 10 to 12 days. Barclays is among the leading names suggesting that Brent crude oil could rise to around $80 per barrel. Does this all sound familiar?
Petrol prices soared in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with unleaded hitting a whopping 191p per litre in July. It has taken four years for prices to fall back to relative normality, with the current 131.91p average now on par with costs recorded in late 2021.
However, motorists are set to suffer the same fate all over again, with the latest suggestion that unleaded could hit 142.5p per litre within weeks. So why aren’t we more prepared? Shouldn’t Labour have been looking after the UK’s 42 million motorists and shifted its focus to putting the domestic energy supply first?
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, previously called for changes four years ago. In 2022, Farage called for a ‘Vote Power Not Poverty’ campaign, which he claimed would “mean no more imports of gas, coal and electricity”.
In particular, he stressed that the UK should be more self-sustainable, which would lead to “no more reliance on Putin, the Middle East or Macron.” He proclaimed the UK “should be an energy exporter, not an energy importer.” Farage has continued to back plans for North Sea drilling, which is likely to become a big part of his next election campaign.
When motorists are forced to dip into their pockets once again, Farage’s “drill, baby, drill” message will begin to cut through with those fed up of splashing out.
To make matters worse, Labour is set to hike fuel duty rates in the coming months with a staggered rise of the 5p cut. The party has yet to explain if this will be axed in light of the Middle East chaos, but failure to act will finally confirm they don’t care about drivers.
