Labour should stop seeing drivers as cash cows and should leave fuel duty alone

THE Chancellor will today unveil what she says is a £20billion black hole in the public finances left by the Tories.

Rises in capital gains tax and hammering middle-class pensions are both being suggested as ways of raising funds in an October Budget.

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I fear motorists could also be on the receiving end — and that would be an epic mistake.

Our economy is totally linked to the cost of road transport.

Rachel Reeves says she wants to grow the economy.

But the way to go about it is not by ripping off the motorist.

The Competition and Markets Authority has revealed how fuel companies consciously robbed drivers of £1.6billion at the pumps last year.

The watchdog’s report says retailers are making 6p a litre more in profits than they should be.

That is an average of £50 per driver ­each year — and don’t forget there are 37million UK motorists.

I believe the real figure is far higher and that the greedy fuel supply chain has been ripping us off for decades.

Chronic, opportunistic profiteering on our forecourts remains rampant and unchecked.

It must be stopped urgently.

The CMA is recommending a fuel finder scheme to give motorists access to live station-by-station prices via mobile phone maps or satnavs.

The Tories launched a basic version, PumpWatch Lite, in January as a voluntary consumer pricing mechanism, which was a grave error.

I repeatedly stressed to then energy minister Claire Coutinho and Chancellor ­Jeremy Hunt that PumpWatch must have the teeth of the law to benefit motorists.

Labour must act now to make this happen, but I don’t believe they will.

Because I have learned that the hated fuel price escalator is about to be resurrected.

It is the mechanism that both Labour and Tory governments bought into which raises duty each year, typically by inflation plus 2p per litre.

In fact, credible rumours say we could now be facing a hike of up to TEN PENCE a litre.

This alarming news will add a staggering £5.50 to every average-sized family car fill-up, a significant blow to already strained household budgets.

Imminent danger

Since 2011, FairFuelUK and The Sun’s Keep It Down campaign ­persuaded the Tories to keep fuel duty frozen, saving drivers £90billion — an average of £16.50 each tank.

But that 14½-year period of economic common sense under the Tories will almost certainly end under Labour.

When asked before the ­election if he would rule out a fuel duty rise, Sir Keir Starmer said Labour had supported a freeze on the tax “every single time it has come up”.

Hitting drivers in the pocket is deeply rooted in its political DNA

Howard on Labour

But he still needs to rule out hiking fuel duty now he is in No 10.

Labour has a history of increasing fuel duty, with a staggering 46 per cent hike when they were last in power, from 1997 to 2010.

Hitting drivers in the pocket is deeply rooted in its political DNA.

I recently bumped into a Labour MP and what he said was chilling.

Almost salivating, he told me: “You might as well throw in your much-respected ‘campaigning for motorists’ towel. We will hike fuel duty and legislate to get drivers out of their cars. Motorists have had it too good for far too long.”

This potential rise will impact badly on motorists’ lives, casting a shadow over any economic growth and considerably raising the cost of living.

Given UK petrol is 8p a litre over the European average, and the nation’s commercial heartbeat, diesel, is even higher at 20p per litre more, the news of a possible 10p per litre fuel duty increase is terrifying.

Labour’s policies are a real and imminent danger to our liberty to drive.

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I have seen private Whitehall emails regarding their looming policies on motoring.

Policies that are ready to go.

As well as the return of the fuel price escalator, there will be 20mph maximum speed rollouts, draconian road charges and bringing back the 2030 ban on sales of new ­diesel and petrol cars.

There are also stricter ­emissions targets, an explosion of Ulez schemes, sophisticated “Big Brother” camera detection, low-traffic neighbourhoods, pay per mile, more oversized cycle lanes, parking charges biased against diesel drivers and higher public transport fares.

First-hand evidence of Labour’s objectives is already bursting into our cities, led by London.

Other Labour-run cities will eagerly follow Mayor Sadiq Khan’s lead.

And the Labour Government will use London’s mayoral result as a mandate to inflict more pain on drivers.

The party restricting freedom to drive will be catastrophic, particularly for poorer families, small businesses and logistics firms.

It will lead to ­significant job losses and an economic slowdown.

Naive vision

So if you drive a petrol- engine car, or especially a ­diesel, Labour will make you pay — and big time.

Their blinkered, naive vision of what constitutes saving the planet through prejudiced strategies of more road restrictions, needless emissions control, increased running costs and higher taxation will become firmly entrenched.

Labour must recognise that drivers should be part of the solution to developing economic growth, instead of seeing them as the easiest of cash cows.

Lower road-user taxation and fuel costs guarantee reduced inflation and increased ­consumer spending.

It’s a no-brainer, Ms Reeves.

Leave fuel duty alone and ensure pump pricing is fair, honest and transparent.