The Courier’s fight for fairer fuel has been highlighted at Westminster as the UK Government was urged to introduce a fuel duty stabiliser.
The SNP and Welsh party Plaid Cymru used an opposition day debate to condemn the Conservative-led government for failing to introduce the measure, as they had promised prior to the election.
The nationalists’ motion, backed by a coalition of motoring and industry organisations, was defeated by 303 to 14 votes, with Lib Dem and Tory MPs voting against calls for relief and Labour MPs abstaining.
Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie, who led the debate as the SNP’s treasury spokesman, said, “My favourite campaign is the fight for fairer fuel currently being taken on by The Courier.
“In Dundee last week I paid £1.33 a litre and that is not now uncommon. It is unsustainable and is decimating family budgets and having a catastrophic effect on remote and rural communities.
“We need to put the stabiliser on rocketing fuel prices before the brakes are slammed down on any chance of economic growth.”
Mr Hosie demanded the coalition pushed ahead with its consideration of a regulator to cut fuel duty when oil prices rise, ahead of the March budget. The Conservatives have previously looked at the possibility of a regulator, which would also see fuel duty increase when oil prices fall.
In January, the Prime Minister said he hoped “progress” could be made on the issue to “give the motorist a fair deal.”
Responding to the debate yesterday, economic secretary Justine Greening said the government was working to help hard-pressed motorists, but this had to be done against a background of needing to reduce the national debt.
“This whole area is something the last government chose to completely ignore,” she added.
Labour’s shadow treasury minister Kerry McCarthy also failed to explicitly back the campaign for a fuel duty stabiliser. She said the party would consider the measure, but only back it if it was shown to be economically beneficial.
Several MPs from Tayside and Fife have backed The Courier campaign despite their party not supporting the policy.’Let down’Speaking after the vote defeat, Mr Hosie said, “People were looking to parliament for action, but have been let down by a coalition of Labour, Tory and Lib Dem MPs who have betrayed households and businesses.
“If Westminster won’t act, then we need to equip the Scottish Parliament with the powers so that it can deliver instead. Fuel prices are a crucial issue for households and businesses, and will now become a central issue for the Holyrood elections in May.
“The SNP will use every opportunity to remind people in Scotland of the way Labour and the Lib Dems have let Scotland down, and done nothing while fuel prices soared.
“It is simply unacceptable that in energy-rich Scotland, motorists and businesses are facing pump prices that have reached over £1.40 a litre in some areas.
“Coupled with the UK Government’s recent VAT rise, these record fuel costs are putting a huge and unnecessary amount of pressure on our communities and on vital sectors of the Scottish economy, and risk choking the recovery that the SNP Government is building in Scotland.”
The average price for petrol on February 1 was 128.65p per litre, and 133.38p for diesel.
Chancellor George Osborne is said to be considering scrapping a planned 1p fuel duty increase in April, as fuel costs hit a record high.If you want to support the Courier’s call for a fuel duty regulator, click here to add your name to our petition.