"Reform UK set out a series of cuts to green levies it says it would use to cover the cost to the Treasury of keeping the lower rate in place. This includes scrapping government grants to encourage people to buy heat pumps and electric cars, and 9.4bn in subsidies for carbon capture and storage projects allocated by ministers for the next three years."
"At a news conference at a petrol station in Derbyshire, the party's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said the situation in the Middle East meant it was the "worst possible moment" for fuel duty to rise. Alongside Reform leader Nigel Farage, he posed for photographs in front of a price board covered in the party's branding."
"Speaking in the Commons, Reeves said the "most important thing" ministers could do to keep fuel prices down was to help "de-escalate" the conflict. She added that the government last month launched a scheme to provide motorists with realtime data on forecourt prices, which would help them "shop around"."
Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces pressure from Reform UK, the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats to maintain a 5p fuel duty cut set to expire in September. The cut was originally implemented following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Opposition parties argue that escalating Middle East tensions and resulting energy price increases make this the wrong time to raise fuel duty. Reform UK proposed offsetting the cost by scrapping green subsidies, including heat pump grants and carbon capture storage projects. Reeves responded by emphasizing diplomatic de-escalation and highlighting a new government scheme providing real-time forecourt price data to help motorists compare prices.
Read at www.bbc.com
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