Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is visiting Northern Ireland today, sparking hopes among motorists that the UK government may take action to ease rising fuel costs. The visit comes as petrol prices in the UK have surged by over 10p per litre since the start of the US-Iran war, with the average cost of unleaded petrol now exceeding 140p per litre.
According to government data, motorists in North Warwickshire are facing the highest prices at the pumps, with average costs approaching 145p per litre for E10 unleaded. In over 130 local authority districts, the average price has gone above 140p. The conflict is estimated to cost UK motorists £15 million a day in extra fuel costs.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has put fuel retailers “on notice” that it is stepping up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices. Juliette Enser, the CMA’s executive director for markets, said: “Whilst price increases might be inevitable because of rising wholesale costs, it is important that those increases reflect genuine cost pressures. We will be closely scrutinising and reporting on what’s happening with fuel prices and call out any concerning behaviour.”
However, the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) has pulled out of a planned meeting with Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, accusing ministers of using “inflammatory language” that has led to abuse against forecourt workers. The PRA said it withdrew after “several days in which ministers have suggested that forecourts may be ‘price gouging’ and ‘ripping off’ the motorist”.
Among major retailers, Asda Express is charging the highest average price for unleaded petrol at 142.9p per litre, while Tesco leads the big four supermarkets at 138.2p per litre. The visit by Sir Keir Starmer is seen as an opportunity to address these concerns and potentially announce measures to provide relief to hard-pressed motorists.
