Liberal Democrats call for an emergency 10p fuel duty cut

The Liberal Democrats are calling for an immediate 10p cut in fuel duty, as part of an emergency transport package “to keep Britain moving”.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick has today called on the Chancellor to bring forward an emergency package of support to help families, pensioners and businesses across Wales with the costs of President Trump’s war on Iran.

The Liberal Democrats have set out a bold new plan to “keep Britain moving and tackle the cost-of-living crisis”:

• Cutting fuel duty by 10p, bringing down prices at the pump by 12p per litre, including for red diesel.
• Making it cheaper to drive electric vehicles, by cutting VAT on public charging and reviewing the unfair network costs that push up charging prices.

This comes on top of the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ existing commitment to extend the Rural Fuel Duty Relief Scheme to parts of rural Wales, which currently only covers parts of rural Scotland and England.

David Chadwick is pressing the government to introduce this package for three months at first, but says it should be kept under review and could be extended if the crisis drags on for longer and fuel prices stay high in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe.

With many communities across Wales reliant on cars due to limited public transport and long travel distances for work, healthcare and education, rising fuel costs are hitting residents particularly hard.

The party have also stated a petition to get Labour to act on the issue.

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

“People across Wales rely on their cars every single day, whether it’s getting to work, taking children to school or travelling long distances to hospital appointments. When fuel prices spike, rural communities like ours are hit first and hardest.

“I’ve spoken to so many families, pensioners and small businesses locally who are worried sick about the skyrocketing costs of getting around, caused by Donald Trump’s idiotic war with Iran and cheered on by Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage.

“We desperately need an emergency package to keep our communities moving, including an immediate cut in fuel duty to bring down prices at the pump by 12p per litre, including for red diesel for farmers. Alongside that, making electric vehicle charging cheaper would help people, no matter how they travel.

“We can’t afford for the Chancellor to stand back while rural areas are squeezed. Without action, people will be forced to cut back, and our local economy will suffer.”

ENDS