Government contingency plans for diesel rationing and a temporary 50mph speed limit could be brought back as fuel prices reach record highs this weekend. The RAC has predicted that diesel will surpass its all-time price record in the UK following the continued conflict between the US and Iran.
As of Sunday, September 27, average prices stand at 199.05p per litre for diesel and 174.04p for petrol, according to the breakdown experts' live price tracker. Simon Williams, the RAC's head of policy, has forecast “the record of 199.09p will almost certainly be surpassed over the weekend”, with average prices just 0.4p per litre away from that mark.
Supply concerns and government plans
Reports from Sky News suggest the UK had just 42 days of diesel left as of July, the lowest among developed nations aside from Australia. In March, as the conflict first broke out, a Labour Treasury minister refused to rule out petrol rationing, and government plans set out by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero under its National Emergency Plan for Fuel show how rationing would work in practice.
These plans include priority filling for emergency services and public transport and temporary speed limit reductions down to 50mph. Louisa James, Political Correspondent at ITV’s Good Morning Britain, said back in March: “As you would expect the government has emergency plans in place which will be activated in the event of a severe disruption. Those are published online and they include things like petrol rationing, giving emergency services and public transport priority for fuel. Also reportedly a temporary 50mph speed limit to reduce demand for fuel.”
How rationing would operate
The National Emergency Plan for Fuel says: “The majority of potential fuel supply disruptions can be addressed by measures to help industry maintain fuel supply; these would be deployed by DESNZ in co-ordination with industry and other government departments.” The government holds emergency powers under the Energy Act 1976, which it can use to control supply and demand of petroleum products, though these are reserved for the most severe disruptions.
“These measures would only be activated in the event of a severe national fuel supply shortage.” The plan details several schemes, including the Designated Filling Station scheme, which gives emergency and critical service vehicles priority access to fuel; the Bulk Distribution Scheme, directing oil companies to prioritise delivery to critical services; and the Commercial Distribution Scheme, prioritising road diesel for commercial vehicles to support key supply chains.
Additional measures include a Maximum Purchase Scheme, restricting fuel sales to a maximum amount per visit, and a Crude Oil and Imported Product Allocation Scheme, allowing the government to formally allocate crude oil and imported products within the UK.
Activation criteria and response
The NEP-F document states: “Only when an incident has the potential to cause significant and widespread disruption to oil supply will government consider activating measures within the NEP-F. The decision to activate the measures in the NEP-F can only be taken at a national level and would be led by DESNZ, as the government department responsible for energy resilience.”
Local Resilience Fora and essential service providers are expected to have business continuity plans that align in principle with the NEP-F but do not rely on early activation. A DESNZ spokesperson said: “We have a diverse and resilient supply. We continue to engage with our international partners and the UK fuel industry.”
