Fuels: Excise Duties and Prices

(asked on 18th March 2026) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the road haulage sector on the financial impact of [i] forthcoming changes to fuel duty and [ii] changes in oil prices due to the conflict in the Middle East on road hauliers.


Answered by
Dan Tomlinson Portrait
Dan Tomlinson
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
This question was answered on 26th March 2026

The Government recognises the key role the haulage sector plays in the UK economy. The Government is taking action to ensure that fuel at the pump remains affordable. At Budget 2025, the Government extended the 5p-per-litre cut for a further five months, until the end of August this year. The Government has also cancelled the increase in line with inflation for 2026/27; instead, rates will only gradually return to early 2022 levels by March 2027.

The Government's action on fuel duty will save an average heavy goods vehicle more than £800 in 2026/27 compared to previous plans, and follows an extended period where freezes to fuel duty have resulted in substantial savings for the haulage industry.

As the Chancellor has set out, a rapid de-escalation in the Middle East remains the best way to keep prices low at the pump.

As with all taxes, the Government keeps fuel duty under review; and any changes are announced at fiscal events.

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