Fuel Duty Cost of Living 2026-09-08
2026-09-08
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The questioner inquires about the financial imp [3D [K impact on motorists of discontinuing the 5p fuel duty reduction from Decemb [6D [K December 2026.
What estimate he has made of the average annual cost [K to motorists of discontinuing the 5p fuel duty reduction from December 2026 [4D [K 2026.
As part of the £600 million package the Government anno [4D [K announced in May, there will be no rise in fuel duty this year. This means [K that the temporary 5p cut will be extended till the end of the year, provid [6D [K providing certainty to motorists. In total, the decisions taken since the 2 [1D [K 2024 general election to freeze fuel duty save motorists 11p per litre, or [K £120 per year for the average car, compared with the plans inherited from t [1D [K the previous Government.
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Assessment & feedback
The questioner asked for an estimate of the average a [1D [K annual cost if the 5p fuel duty reduction is discontinued, but the answerer [8D [K answerer did not provide a specific estimate for this scenario.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The questioner from Edinburgh West requests an [K emergency cut of 10p per litre in fuel duty, highlighting the potential ben [3D [K benefits for constituents during the winter season.
I appreciate what the Minister has said about the fue [3D [K fuel duty freeze, but the Liberal Democrats have called for an emergency cu [2D [K cut of 10p per litre, which would make a difference of 12 per litre at the [K pump for ordinary families. For my hard-pressed constituents in Edinburgh W [1D [K West this winter, that could make a big difference not only to their travel [6D [K travel costs, but to the cost of food and other services. Will the Governme [8D [K Government consider that emergency cut in the forthcoming Budget?
I agree with the hon. Lady about the importance of prov [4D [K providing breathing space for families, which is a priority for us as a Gov [3D [K Government, and she mentioned her plans. I have set out what we have done s [1D [K since the general election to reduce fuel prices by 11p per litre compared [K with what they would have been otherwise. As I set out in my earlier remark [6D [K remarks, the 5p cut has been extended to the end of the year, and as she wo [2D [K would expect, any future decisions will be taken at the Budget by the Chanc [5D [K Chancellor.
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Assessment & feedback
The questioner asked for a specific consideration of [K an emergency cut of 10p per litre, but the answerer did not commit to this [K proposal.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The questioner challenges the Minister's statem [6D [K statement about providing breathing space for families, citing the RAC Foun [4D [K Foundation's finding that the Treasury has gained an extra £1 billion from [K VAT on fuel since prices increased due to international issues.
I cannot believe the Minister just said he wanted to [K give families breathing space when the RAC Foundation has found that, since [5D [K since fuel prices increased due to international issues earlier this year, [K the Treasury has raked in £1 billion extra from the VAT on fuel. How can it [2D [K it possibly be fair on motorists or give them any breathing space whatsoeve [9D [K whatsoever to carry on with another fuel duty hike in January?
The hon. Gentleman is right to point to the fact that i [1D [K international events have an impact on prices here at home. We did not want [4D [K want to get involved in that conflict, unlike the Conservative party. None [K the less, we are impacted by it, and the right thing for us to do as a Gove [4D [K Government is to make sure we are providing breathing space for families as [2D [K as we weather international events.
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Assessment & feedback
The questioner asked how continuing with another fuel [4D [K fuel duty hike is fair, but the answerer shifted the discussion to internat [8D [K international conflicts and did not address the specific fairness issue.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
Motorists face significant financial strain due [3D [K due to high fuel costs and additional insurance charges. Which? research ha [2D [K has found that monthly insurance payments are often hundreds of pounds more [4D [K more expensive than annually paid premiums.
I welcome the Government's commitment to the cut on f [1D [K fuel duty, although motorists are being not only squeezed at the pumps but [K ripped off by unfair monthly insurance charges. Does the Minister agree tha [3D [K that insurance companies should not be charging unfair and unjustified addi [4D [K additional costs for monthly insurance, when that is what most people can a [1D [K afford? Will he meet me to discuss the Which? research, which has found tha [3D [K that people paying monthly for insurance are paying hundreds of pounds in a [1D [K additional costs?
Although my hon. Friend is right that fuel duty is one [K cost that families face, they also face a number of other costs, including [K through insurance. He is a formidable campaigner on a range of issues, so I [1D [K I would be happy to meet him to discuss this issue, or to ask my colleague, [10D [K colleague, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Northampton Nort [4D [K North (Lucy Rigby), to do so, if she is better placed to respond.
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Assessment & feedback
The Minister did not directly address the fairness of [2D [K of monthly insurance charges.
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
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Context
Fuel costs for businesses such as Northfield qu [2D [K quarry in Dunipace have nearly tripled due to geopolitical events and previ [5D [K previous government policies. The quarry is essential for housing construct [9D [K construction and provides good local jobs.
I welcome the Government's fuel duty freeze for worki [5D [K working families, alongside the road tax holiday for hauliers and the diese [5D [K diesel fuel duty cut. Fuel costs for businesses in my constituency, such as [2D [K as Northfield quarry near Dunipace, have nearly tripled due to the Iran war [3D [K war and the previous Government's tightening of eligibility for red diesel. [7D [K diesel. In the Budget, will the Chancellor consider extending fuel duty red [3D [K reductions for industries such as quarrying, which is essential for house c [1D [K construction and provides good local jobs for working families?
I thank my hon. Friend for his request of the Chancello [9D [K Chancellor at the Budget. As the Chancellor set out earlier, he will take t [1D [K those decisions at the Budget in the normal way, but my hon. Friend has mad [3D [K made a powerful case for his constituents and used this opportunity to ensu [4D [K ensure that all of us on the Treasury Front-Bench team have heard what he h [1D [K has to say.
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Assessment & feedback
The Minister did not commit to extending fuel duty re [2D [K reductions for quarrying.
Response accuracy
Q6
Partial Answer
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Context
The price of fuel has risen significantly due t [1D [K to international tensions such as the conflict in the strait of Hormuz.
Fuel duty is catnip for a Chancellor desperate for re [2D [K revenue, but it is no sin tax, because for millions of Britons, vehicles ar [2D [K are lifelines not luxuries. The imminent rise in fuel duty comes as tankers [7D [K tankers are ablaze in the strait of Hormuz. Must family budgets also go up [K in flames?
I think the hon. Gentleman's point is that the price of [2D [K of fuel is linked to international events, which, as I said earlier, I very [4D [K very much agree with. That is why it is important that we de-escalate the s [1D [K situation in the strait of Hormuz, which is the best way to bring down the [K cost of fuel. Meanwhile, the Government are determined to give families acr [3D [K across the country breathing space—extending the 5p cut until the end of th [2D [K the year, a £2 cap on bus fares, and removing VAT from electricity bills—as [8D [K bills—as we weather the impact of international events.
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Assessment & feedback
The Minister did not directly address the fuel duty r [1D [K rise affecting family budgets.
Response accuracy