Tory MPs call on Jeremy Hunt to cut fuel tax in fall budget

Sign up for Inside Politics email for your briefing free daily on the biggest stories in British politicsGet our free Inside Politics emailPlease enter a valid email addressPlease enter a valid email addressI would like to be notified by email about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}An error has occurred. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

More than 23 Tory MPs have signed a letter urging Jeremy Hunt to cut the fuel tax in Thursday's fall budget.

MPs calling for the 'critical' intervention to be included in the long-awaited budget statement include former Home Secretary Priti Patel, 1922 Committee Chairman Sir Graham Brady and the Former Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis.

Led by former Education Minister Jonathan Gullis, the letter opens: "My fellow MPs and I want to see fuel taxes reduced to stimulate growth, but at least frozen at current level for the duration of this parliament.”

He continues: “As you know, a major influence on rising inflation is the rising cost of fuel for transportation, delivery and logistics. We've seen record fill prices at the pump over the past 12 months, and despite a strengthening pound and significant declines in wholesale prices in recent weeks, petrol is still 22p/litre higher than in January.

The MP quoted campaign group Fair Fuel UK which, according to its latest survey, found that of 70,000 road users, 25% had reduced their normal driving habits "significantly" due to of rising prices at the pump, while three in four drivers said they had no choice but to continue driving their normal mileage amid rising costs.

Jonathan Gullis has called on Mr Hunt to meet with him and Fair Fuel UK founder Howard Cox to discuss 'the gross unchecked profiteering in the fuel supply chain'.

An investigation of the RAC revealed that the UK languishes near the bottom of a ranking of European countries for measures taken to ease the burden of high fuel prices.

Only Luxembourg has done less than the government British on 13 European countries that have cut petrol taxes since prices started to soar in March.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: "This analysis lays bare an uncomfortable truth for the UK Government: compared to other European countries, it is nearly the least done to support drivers during the current period of record fuel prices.

"The result is that the UK is one of the most expensive places to fill up and refuel. place above other countries that have history...