The Government has announced it will freeze fuel duty and extend a 5p per litre cut, halting a planned increase that would have added to the cost of every journey and every delivery across the country.
James Wright, a farmer and rural campaigner, helped launch the "Axe the Fuel Tax" petition earlier this year after the Government signalled it intended to raise fuel duty by 5p per litre in a series of staged increases between September 2025 and March 2026. Tens of thousands of people signed the petition, with strong support from communities in West Somerset and Mid Devon where reliance on cars and vans is near-total.
The Government confirmed the increase will not go ahead, with the freeze remaining in place until at least the end of 2026. In a separate measure affecting the farming sector, the duty rate on red diesel, used by tractors and agricultural machinery, will be cut from 10.18p to 6.48p per litre from 15 June until the end of the year. The Government said the combined effect of the freeze could save the average driver £120 compared to what they would otherwise have paid.
James Wright said: "This is a win for everyone who signed the petition and for rural communities who told us, clearly, that they could not absorb another hit at the pump. In places like Exmoor, Minehead and Tiverton, you cannot get to work, take your children to school, or run a business without a vehicle.
"The red diesel cut matters too. Farmers are already under enormous pressure and every penny saved on fuel is a penny that stays on the farm and helps keep food affordable. I'm glad the Government has listened, and I will keep making the case that this freeze should be made permanent, or better yet scrapped entirely."
The fuel duty freeze extends a pattern of rolling annual extensions that began in 2011. The original 5p temporary cut was introduced in 2022 in response to rising fuel prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
