The AA has called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce a further fuel duty cut that could save petrol and diesel drivers as much as £6.60 per tank. AA President Edmund King has urged the Prime Minister to reduce fuel duty by an additional 5p per litre.
Existing cut at risk
The legal default is for the Conservatives' 5p cut on fuel duty to be reversed next year, with the first 3p rise coming in January. The AA has warned that such a move would put further pressure on drivers at a time when pump prices have already increased.
AA bosses want the existing 5p reduction to be maintained and an additional 5p-per-litre cut introduced to help cash-strapped road users. The additional 5p reduction would equate to around 6p per litre at the pump once VAT is included.
Savings for drivers
Mr King stressed that an additional fuel duty cut would allow road users to save as much as £6.60 every time they topped up. He said: "Drivers need the Chancellor to put the brakes on rising fuel costs. The first step must be keeping the existing 5p fuel duty cut, but with prices rising we believe the Chancellor should go further and cut another 5p.
"If passed on in full, that additional cut would take around 6p off a litre at the pump and save around £3.30 when filling a typical family car. Allowing the existing cut to disappear would take drivers in precisely the wrong direction. Compared with that outcome, keeping the 5p reduction and going 5p further could make a difference of around £6.60 on a tank."
Other demands
The AA is not alone in demanding immediate action. Howard Cox, founder of campaign group FairFuelUK, has also called for an emergency 10p cut on fuel duty costs. FairFuel warned drivers were being "hammered" at the pumps and accused the Labour Government of "doing nothing" to help road users.
Earlier this week, the PM also came under fire for introducing fuel price data on Google Maps instead of cutting costs. In his response, Mr Burnham did not categorically rule out further action later down the line, with a fuel duty decision likely to be expected at John Healey's Autumn Budget later this month.
Mr Burnham posted on X: "Together, these changes add up, and no matter how small it may seem, I will pull every single lever I can to help people, whenever I can."
