The Government has moved to reassure motorists over diesel shortages as prices surge, insisting supply is robust and resilient.
Minister's reassurance
Transport minister Keir Mather insisted Britain's supply of diesel was "robust" and "resilient". His comments came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said European countries should "immediately" begin to use their reserves. Earlier on Thursday, US President Donald Trump had said he "may" call for European countries to draw down from their reserves.
Britain joined crisis talks with Brussels on Thursday on whether to release fuel stocks amid soaring prices.
Government statement
Mr Mather told Sky News: "I want to reassure people this morning that the United Kingdom has got a diverse range of supply when it comes to diesel. We have resilience built into our system for that reason."
"We are working very closely with our US counterparts to stress the importance of that relationship, and the importance of sustaining flows of diesel around the world, but also working through international fora in the International Energy Agency and partners in Europe from whom we get a proportion of our diesel imports as well."
He added: "Although prices have gone up at the pump, the Government is aware of that and the freeze in fuel duty is still in place."
Price impact
"People shouldn't be concerned about shortages because of the inherent resilience that is built into that system."
The average price of a litre of diesel in the UK stood at 199.79p on Thursday, according to figures compiled by the RAC. The previous record high was 199.09p, in June 2022, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The UK, as a member of the International Energy Agency, is required to keep oil stocks equal to at least 90 days of net oil imports in reserve. It is thought these can be used to respond to severe supply disruptions in the global market.
