Since the Labour Government came power in July 2024, it is notable that the Bank of England annual inflation target of 2% has not ever been met, with inflation consistently having been higher every single month.  The latest figure available of 3.0% for January is at the lower end of what it has been, but now more dark clouds are on the horizon.

The Iran war is of course not the government’s fault, in the same way the energy price shock caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was not the fault of our previous government.  However, what governments can do is respond in ways to limit the negative impacts on the economy and on households.

Existing government economic policies will have an impact on the ability to weather global economic shocks, and unfortunately due to the economic mismanagement of the Labour Government, the UK is set to more badly affected than it should.

Labour are presiding over a high taxation, high benefits, high spending and rising unemployment economy, with little scope to deal with outside economic shocks.  As I write, within the last fortnight we’ve seen petrol prices rise by 10p a litre locally, with diesel rising by almost 20p a litre.  This has the potential to get worse before it gets better and while the increased cost of filling up our cars is bad enough, the knock-on effect of adding to transport and distribution costs, is what raises inflation and adds to increased household costs.

At last November’s Budget, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced plans to increase fuel duty by 5p a litre from September, the first rise in 15 years.  It will come in three stages from September and March next year.  This needs to be stopped now and potential reductions made.  The previous Conservative Government froze fuel duty every year they were in government.  In 2022 they cut fuel duty by 5p a litre to help households cope with the surge in energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  This government needs to be more responsive to motorists and the high costs of motoring. 

Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group

18th March 2026