"The great pump pricing rip-off continues to go unchecked, hitting inflation and the economy hard."

CRANBROOK, KENT, UNITED KINGDOM, July 16, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- • Since the beginning of June, the price of Brent Oil has fallen in Sterling by a huge 19% (in US Dollars by 22%).
• In the same 6-week period there was a very welcome 15% fall in the cost of wholesale petrol and a 4% drop in buying bulk diesel.
• But none of these benefits to the economy and businesses, have been passed onto UK's drivers.
• Pump prices for petrol have instead, rocketed by 9% and diesel up 8%.

Robert Halfon MP said: “How on earth can pump prices be rocketing when wholesale and oil costs are plummeting. This perennial plundering of hard-working drivers’ pockets has to be stopped. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps must put in place immediately, mine and Howard Cox’s long called for PumpWatch, a proposed independent pump pricing monitoring body. These greedy oil companies must explain why they continue to fleece low income families, small businesses and the haulage industry at will.”

A few garages are at last now showing what pump prices should be. A Shell garage in Newton Abbot and a Texaco garage in Manchester are now displaying petrol prices at 164.9p and 169.9p respectively. And on current wholesale prices they are still making correspondingly 11p and 16p profit per litre.

Howard Cox, Founder of the FairFuelUK Campaign says: “The welcome low pump prices at the Newton Abbott Shell garage, show just how corrupt the fuel supply continues to be. For months I’ve said pump prices are needlessly 20p+ way too high. How can this garage sell petrol 25p below National average price when others keep them so high and off the scale? It is truly stomach-turning the fuel supply chain continue to rip-of motorists wholly unchecked."

Executive Director - Policy & Public Affairs, Rod McKenzie says: “The lack of sensible fuel taxation support, has put unsustainable costs on firms that operate lorries and coaches, and urgent action is needed to save businesses from going bust”

And if Rishi Sunak and now the interim Chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi had followed Germany in cutting Fuel Duty by 25p per litre to help lessen the pain of the cost of living crisis, just imagine what we should be paying at the pumps. There is no doubt petrol and diesel should now be 20p to 30p lower per litre. But it seems our government cares little to help.

The reason Rishi Sunak may have not helped hard pressed motorists to a similar magnitude maybe, according to Bloomberg’s Alex Wickham: He privately lobbied his colleagues to impose a green levy on petrol and diesel, a plan we hear was turned down by Boris Johnson. FairFuelUK has been reliably informed however, that Mr Sunak was not behind this extra Green Tax initiative and may instead, be a plot to undermine his leadership campaign. It’s difficult to know what or who to believe.

Howard Cox, Founder of the FairFuelUK Campaign says: "The CMA will show a dereliction of their duty to UK consumers, if from their latest enquiry, they fail to recognise the disgusting blatant chronic opportunistic profiteering, and then do nothing to initiate serious penalties against greedy fuel supply chain businesses not passing big wholesale falls to their forecourts. Ironically retailers are it seems being screwed by these businesses, just as much as drivers."

Howard Cox, Founder of the FairFuelUK Campaign says: "And above all, the new Prime Minister must introduce a pump pricing watchdog, that MP Robert Halfon and myself have been long calling for. To finally bring fairness, transparency and honesty to the cost of filling up. This independent consumer price protection body, PumpWatch is now even more than essential.”

• Pricing data sourced from the RAC Foundation, PetrolPrices.Com, Global Petrol Prices and FairFuelUK Supporter Panel
• FairFuelUK Website: https://fairfueluk.com
• PumpWatch background: https://fairfueluk.com/PumpWatch.html
• Historical PumpWatch Articles from FairFuelUK: https://fairdriving.uk/category/pumpwatch
• 5p Duty cut not passed onto motorists: https://www.itv.com/news/2022-05-17/retailers-accused-of-not-passing-on-full-5p-fuel-duty-cut-to-motorists

Media Contact: Howard Cox, Founder of the FairFuelUK Campaign and the Secretary to the APPG for Fair Fuel for Motorists and Hauliers - Contact details : howard@fairfueluk.com Tel: 0751542161

Background: Since 2011 the APPG for Fair Fuel for UK Motorists and UK Hauliers has examined major issues that impact on UK drivers. Along with FairFuelUK, it has been a major influencer on keeping Fuel Duty frozen since 2011. As well as fuel taxation, other issues addressed by the APPG that impact on drivers, have included congestion charges, ULEZ/CAZs, parking costs, roads investment, unfair treatment for fossil fuelled vehicle owners, solutions to lower emissions, cleaner fuel incentives, alternative technology options and transparent pricing at the fuel pumps with a continual call for PumpWatch. With the expected decline in Fuel Duty revenue, the APPG will also formulate a long-term approach to the future of road taxation and a positive transport strategy for all road users. https://fairfueluk.com

Since 2010 FairFuelUK has saved drivers over £160bn in planned tax hikes in duty and VAT through constructive and objective campaigning. Had FairFuelUK not campaigned to scrap the fuel duty escalator, fuel tax today would be 90p/lt rather than 57.95p/lt. Today we would be paying £2.40+ per litre at the pumps had FairFuelUK not fought for the World's highest taxed drivers. Because of the Campaign, inflation is down 6.7% and £24bn has been put back into consumer spending each and every year since 2011.

FairFuelUK is a public affairs team with no shareholders to satisfy, just an award-winning campaign representing the real concerns of hard-working motorists, families, small businesses, commercial drivers and hauliers across the UK. Decades of fiscal exploitation by successive Governments with little in return, warrants the need for FairFuelUK.

For 12 years, this award winning campaign is funded by the RHA, and previously by Logistics UK and other respected organisations, 1.7m supporters and 146 MPs . FairFuelUK is fronted by the Campaign's Founder Howard Cox. Funding is through support from key founding backers the FTA (Logistics UK), RHA and regular donations from supporters. Previous backers have included the RAC, Association of Pallet Networks, UKLPG and many others.

Howard Cox
FairFuelUK
07515 42161
howard@fairfueluk.com