DOZENS of furious MPs have demanded Rachel Reeves freeze fuel duty amid fears she is about to unleash a crippling 7p-a-litre hike.
More than 70 Tories wrote an explosive letter to the Chancellor, warning her not to wage war on Britain’s 37 million motorists in the Budget.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver her Budget on October 30[/caption]
They say any increase in fuel duty would crush working families and small businesses already drowning under rising costs.
Their battle cry comes amid reports Ms Reeves is plotting one of the biggest Budget tax raids in history as she looks to fill a £40bn blackhole in the public finances.
She is said to be looking at increases in inheritance tax and stamp duty as well as a freeze in income tax thresholds – which will push hundreds of thousands of workers into higher tax brackets.
And for hard-pressed motorists, a 7p fuel duty increase looms large, potentially adding an extra £3.85 to the cost of filling an average family car.
The hike would come from scrapping last year’s 5p cut and reinstating the annual fuel duty rise – a move The Sun has successfully fought against since 2011.
Our relentless Keep It Down campaign alongside FairFuelUK has forced ministers to keep fuel duty frozen for more than a decade.
Backing this year’s push, the letter to the Chancellor boasts the signatures of 73 Tory MPs, including Shadow Deputy PM Sir Oliver Dowden, Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho, and former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel.
It says: “Fuel duty has remained frozen for the past 14 years, currently standing at 6p less than when your party was last in power.
“This has been of immense benefit to Britain’s motorists and has significantly benefitted the Treasury.”
The letter, organised by Saqib Bhatti MP and Howard Cox of FairFuelUK, also highlights analysis showing a 5p hike would not only slow economic growth and cost jobs but could also add an estimated £160 to annual fill-up costs for families.
Mr Bhatti told The Sun: “People rely on their cars to get to work, take the kids to school, and run small businesses. It’s not a luxury. But this Labour Government looks set to betray every single one of them, siding with the greedy Treasury to squeeze even more cash out of already struggling people.”
Former Cabinet Minister Dame Priti added: “With pensioners already feeling the pain of losing the winter fuel payment the last thing Those struggling to pay the bills needs now are higher costs to full up their tank.
“If Labour hike up fuel duty in the Budget this month they will be declaring war on Britain’s motorists.”
Founder of FairFuel UK Mr Cox also said: “Along with the scrapping of the winter fuel allowance and an inevitable National Insurance increase on employers, a hike in fuel duty will be economic and political suicide.
“In opposition, Labour always supported a continuing freeze on Fuel Duty, but now in Government, they see the UK’s driver only as an easy cash cow to pay for their virtue signalling Net Zero fantasy.
“According to the Centre for Economics and Business Research, the long-term impact of increasing fuel duty now could lead to a staggering tax revenue collapse of more than 60% within five years.”
Mr Cox and Mr Bhatti will be delivering a 130,000 signatures petition calling on the Chancellor to maintain a freeze in duty to No 10 on Tuesday.
Downing Street today declined to say whether whether a fuel duty hike would mean higher taxes on working people.
A Treasury spokesperson said: “Difficult decisions are ahead because of the £22 billion hole we inherited and the Chancellor will take decisions in the round at the Budget.”
The Chancellor needs to do right by the hardworking people of Britain
By Tory MP Saqib Bhatti
As we approach the much talked about doom and gloom budget, it’s important we understand the looming implications of a Labour Government that seems hellbent on hurtling us headfirst into economic and social chaos.
My fellow Sun readers, we must face the uncomfortable truth: whilst Sir Keir Starmer hopes to bury the stain of his party’s donations scandal, he will do so on the backs of hardworking Brits.
First, it was pensioners who felt the sting when the Chancellor unceremoniously axed their much needed Winter Fuel Allowance, to fund her union mates.
Now, it is the turn of Britain’s 37 million motorists. 14 years of Conservative government meant fuel duty was either frozen or cut year on year.
The socialist Sir Keir and his trusted sidekick, the Chancellor Reeves, on the other hand, have failed to rule out a freeze let alone a cut.
Let me be clear: such a move would spell disaster for Britain’s motorists.
Think of the families on the school run and the small businesses that rely on vans and lorries to keep the wheels of our economy turning. And let’s not forget our fellow citizens in rural areas, who need their car to get around.
Some of you may remember the tumultuous 70s when oil prices were sent spiralling due to conflicts abroad. Today, with turmoil erupting in the Middle East and Europe, fuel prices are perilously placed, susceptible to global upheavals.
The Chancellor needs to break free from her socialist shackles and do right by the hardworking people of Britain.
That is why over 70 Conservative MPs, myself included, are united in urging Rachel Reeves to freeze fuel duty.
To raise it would be a reckless move igniting inflation, jeopardising jobs, and stifling our economic growth.
If she cannot definitively rule out a freeze in fuel duty she will be betraying our hard working families and our small business owners, much like she has already betrayed our pensioners.
