Chancellor raises hopes fuel duty will remain frozen at autumn Budget in boost for motorists

MILLIONS of motorists have had their hopes raised by the Chancellor that fuel duty will remain frozen at his autumn Budget. John Healey is under pressure amid a living costs’ squeeze to abandon a planned 5p fuel duty hike that kicks in from January. Brits have urged Chancellor John Healey to keep the fuel duty freeze in place Credit: Glen Minikin Motorists have been facing high pump prices amid the Middle East conflict Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto His intervention comes as he weighs up the cost of living crisis for both households and giving business more breathing space amid the Middle East conflict and rising pump prices. The Chancellor was pushed on whether drivers and hauliers would be at the forefront of his mind when he takes the decision at the end of October. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! When asked, he told The Sun: “Yes, and just as we, as a government, have done for the last two years, we’ve already said there’ll be no increase in fuel duty this year. “I know the cost of fuel is still high. I’m very aware of the Middle East, as many people are, and the way that that’s putting pressure on prices at the pumps, prices in the supermarket, just prices on stalls. So we take that into account.” The Sun’s Keep It Down campaign has successfully kept fuel duty frozen since 2011. The Chancellor also has to decide on his intentions for the 5p temporary cut by the end of October. It was brought in by the Tories in 2022 amid the Ukraine war energy price shock. The Iran war saw energy prices rocket with disruption through the vital Strait of Hormuz trading route. The Chancellor added: “I’m very conscious of The Sun’s championing of fuel duty, fuel prices, and this isn’t just a cost of living. Most read in The Sun “This is a cost of business for many. When five million people are self-employed, for many of them, the the cost of living is also the cost of business, and fuels are the heart of that.” He has received a letter from the Petrol Retailers Association to help motorists at the start of next year when personal finances are strained. Mr Healey was speaking at the Chantry Brewery in his Rawmarsh and Conisbrough constituency, in South Yorkshire. The new Andy Burnham introduced a 20 per cent cut to business rates for pubs and music venues in his first few days in office. He added that the move will help with the PM’s pledge to have growth in every postcode. It comes after figures showed conomy slowed to 0.4 per cent for April to June. It was down from 0.6 per cent for the first three months of the year. An upbeat Mr Healey said: “But you know, we can see businesses beginning to invest, beginning to grow, beginning to believe that there is hope, and that’s part of our mission in government. “Now we want to drive some of that activity, that growth into every postcode. “It’s things like this 20% cut in business rates for for pubs, clubs, for live music venues, the sort of places that make a town not just the place we live, but place we love.” Comment now