- Chancellor and Energy Secretary set to meet with petrol
retailers and energy suppliers in Downing Street on Friday — with
a clear message: drivers must get a fair deal at the pump.
- Chancellor asks CMA to crack down on any rip‑offs
on road fuel and heating oil — warning she “will not tolerate”
firms exploiting the situation to make excess profits.
- Fuel Finder will help drivers spot the
cheapest forecourt nearby, as Government takes action
to ensure all major fuel retailers are signed up.
has written to the
Competition and Markets Authority requesting it stays
on high alert for unjustifiable price rises on
petrol, diesel and heating oil, to
support families and businesses.
The Chancellor said she is determined to support people with the
cost of living amid conflict in the Middle East and will not
stand by if firms use uncertainty as cover to push up prices and
protect margins at the expense of drivers.
Her intervention comes ahead of a Downing Street roundtable on
Friday evening, where petrol retailers and energy suppliers will
be pressed on what they are doing to keep prices down — and what
more they can do to ensure changes in costs are passed on
fairly.
Chancellor of the Exchequer said:
“I will not tolerate any company exploiting the current
situation to make excess profits at consumers'
expense. I'm backing drivers and families — and I
expect a fair deal at the pump.”
Energy Secretary said:
“Tackling the cost of living is our number one priority - all
fuel retailers must sign up for Fuel Finder so drivers can find
the cheapest price at the pump.
“We will not hesitate to act to protect consumers against any
unfair practices.”
On Friday, the Chancellor and Energy Secretary will call on
industry to explain why prices vary so widely, how quickly
forecourts respond when costs ease, and what immediate steps
firms will take to make sure motorists aren't left
paying over the odds. The Chancellor noted earlier this week
that prices varied from £1.27 per litre to £1.80 per litre
between forecourts.
This comes after the Energy Secretary met with the CEO of the
Competition and Markets Authority on Tuesday 10 March to discuss
ensuring consumers were protected from any unfair price rises.
Drivers should not have to guess whether they're being
overcharged — so the Government is accelerating its Fuel Finder,
making it easier to see who's cheapest locally and to
take business away from the priciest pumps.
All major supermarkets have confirmed they are now providing
real-time data to the government's Fuel Finder scheme, with
almost 90% of retailers already registered, and
government taking action on the final 10%.
Greater transparency on prices will drive up competition and is
set to see households who own a car save on average £40 a year at
the pump.
And the message to any retailer dragging their feet is
straightforward: if you won't be
transparent, you'll be called out — because sunlight on
prices is one of the strongest tools consumers have to force
competition and drive costs down.
Notes to editors
- The Fuel Finder scheme is expected to incentivise competition
between Petrol Forecourt Stations, lowering fuel prices and
resulting in fuel cost savings for consumers.
- The Fuel Finder average household saving estimate is
calculated using the central estimate for total fuel cost savings
by Fuel Finder in the Fuel Finder Open Data Scheme
Final Impact Assessment and uses publicly available
official statistics on household car ownership, vehicle
classification and number of households in the UK to estimate
the average savings from Fuel Finder for UK households that own
at least one car. The estimate expresses savings in
constant 2024 prices, with 2025 as the base year. There is an
inherent uncertainty in predicting how fuel prices will react
to the introduction of the scheme.
- ONS data sources used: Percentage of households with at least
one car: DfT NTS
(2024), Cars as a proportion of total
vehicles: DfT Vehicle Licensing
Statistics VEH101 (Q5 2025), Percentage
of cars owned by private households: DfT VEH1102 (UK, Q4
2024), Total number of
households: ONS Families and Households in
the UK (2024)
