Blow to hard-pressed motorists as fuel duty set to be hiked in Budget in ‘complete betrayal of working families’
DRIVERS have been warned of a rise in fuel duty — as ministers refuse to rule out a string of painful tax increases.
Campaigners fear Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are poised to punish working families by raising the fuel levy in October’s Budget.
The Prime Minister this week said Labour would be making “big asks” of taxpayers which would be “painful”.
And on a visit to Berlin yesterday he refused to promise the fuel duty freeze would stay.
The tax has been frozen for nearly 15 years thanks to The Sun’s Keep It Down Campaign.
But asked to rule out a raid on drivers’ wallets, the PM replied: “I’m not going to speculate about the Budget.”
However, the RAC predicted the Chancellor would raise fuel duty by 5p to 58p a litre.
Its head of policy, Simon Williams, said: “We’ve reached the conclusion the Chancellor has no option but to put fuel duty back up.”
The motoring group said drivers were already paying 6p a litre too much as greedy fuel retailers cash in.
Low tax champion and former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “Any rise in fuel duty would be a complete betrayal of working families.”
But she refused three times to rule out raising inheritance tax and capital gains tax.
Ms Reeves, visiting a manufacturing centre in Paisley, Renfrewshire, told Sky News yesterday: “I’m not going to write a Budget two months ahead of delivering it.”
Yesterday, the PM said pre-election pledges not to raise taxes on working people was a guarantee on income tax, VAT and national insurance.
He said: “Beyond that, I’m not going to speculate.”