Freeze fuel duty or you’ll hurt the whole country not just drivers, AA warns Rachel Reeves
THE Chancellor is under growing pressure to freeze fuel duty — as the AA warns that a hike will hurt everyone, not just drivers.
The organisation insists food in supermarkets will become dearer and the elderly and vulnerable needing home help from carers would also be hit.
The plea to Rachel Reeves ahead of next month’s Budget came as part of the AA’s “Motoring Manifesto” — demanding the duty freeze amid volatile global prices.
Labour has so far refused to rule out using drivers to balance the books.
Fuel duty currently stands at 52.95p a litre after then-PM Rishi Sunak brought in a temporary 5p cut in 2022 — backed by The Sun’s Keep It Down campaign.
It will lapse next March if no action is taken — and it is feared it could be used to raise £2.4billion.
AA president Edmund King said of the feared hike: “Everything from the price of food in supermarkets to the delivery of social care within our communities are impacted by pump prices.”
He added: “An unnecessary hike in fuel duty could make things worse.”
A Treasury spokesman said “difficult decisions lie ahead on spending, welfare and tax” because of the “£22billion hole the Government has inherited”.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said “judge me on my record” when pressed on fuel duty hikes.
Back in June, she said: “Every time fuel duty has threatened to go up, we’ve opposed it.
“I backed The Sun’s campaign ahead of the last Budget.
“We’ve supported the freezes in fuel duty every time during the course of this Parliament.”