THE Budget next week could end the ten-year freeze in fuel duty, hitting the pockets of families, small businesses and the self-employed.
If whispers in Westminster are true, Chancellor Rishi Sunak will bring in a fuel hike of 2p per litre in April.
New Chancellor Rishi Sunak wants to scrap the fuel duty freeze in his Budget
One Tory MP has admitted: “I can’t imagine the freeze will survive this Parliament.”
It would mark the end of a policy that George Osborne began in 2010.
HOAR’s Keep It Down campaign has demanded that fuel duty stays at 58p per litre.
Tory MP Robert Halfon said: “Fuel duty rises affect businesses, the cost of food and public services.”
And while it is thought Mr Sunak wants to increase the duty as part of a number of green measures, switching to public transport is not a realistic option for many.
Campaign group FairFuel UK estimates a family driving 12,000 miles a year would pay an extra £43 to fill up their car, while a large van driving 50,000 miles annually would see a £272 rise.
A fuel duty hike would risk alienating the former Labour voters who helped propel Boris Johnson to victory in December.
Here, voters from the Red Wall and beyond plead with Mr Sunak to think of them . . .
Mum-of-five, Jayne Mahgagahbow
CLEANER and kitchen assistant Jayne is 54 and lives in Thornaby, North Yorks.
Her constituency, Stockton South, was a Tory gain from Labour in last year’s General Election.
She says: “I use my car to go to work, take the kids to school and shop for the family. I spend about £20 a week on fuel. I never use public transport, it isn’t practical where I live. You never know what time the buses are coming.
“We don’t have an easy transport network like people have with the Tube in London.
“My dad lives in a village where the bus service has stopped completely. The only way I can see him is by driving.
“Any rise is going to hurt the pockets of the people who don’t have a lot of money.
“I don’t have large petrol bills but there are many people who have to work further afield and they really will be badly affected. People in the town would react negatively to the news. They have given Boris Johnson a chance and if the Conservatives put taxes up, there will be a backlash.
“This area was predominantly Labour and I don’t think it will take much for new Conservative voters to say they will never vote for the Tories again.”
Mum-of-two, Claire Jones
CLAIRE, 41, runs a mobile dog salon in Willenhall, West Mids.
Her constituency, Walsall North, turned Tory in 2017.
She said: “I do up to 1,200 miles a month in my van and spend around £60 to £70 a week on fuel.
“Any extra tax on petrol, even if it’s only 2p per litre, is going to eat into my profits.
“The van is crucial to my business. I can visit seven to nine dogs a day and travel up to 30 to 40 miles between clients. Around 40 per cent of my clients are elderly so they rely on me because they can’t get to a grooming parlour.
“Sadly, if this fuel tax does come into force after the Budget then I will probably have to put up my prices.
“The Government should find the extra money from another source.
“Any fuel hike is going to hit the self-employed, who rely on their vehicles the most.
“With all the costs and taxes I feel like I’m being penalised for trying to run a business.”
Dad-of-three, Stephen Nicholson
STEPHEN, 38, runs painting and decorating business S. Nicholson and Sons, which employs 12.
His constituency, Bishop Auckland in County Durham, was a Tory gain from Labour in last year’s General Election.
He said: “We’ve got five vans and spend about £1,400 a month on fuel. The vans are always out every day.
“After VAT and corporation tax, there’s not a lot left. Any rise in fuel duty will take even more away. An increase will hit small businesses who rely on their vehicles, and it will affect those in rural areas as they haven’t got public transport.
“And will there be a further increase down the line?
“Our town centre has died a death and the hospital has lost its A&E and maternity ward. I felt I had no choice but to vote Conservative as we had to have a change.
“If that means we are going to be hit harder in the pocket, then it should be spent on improving the local area.”
