Friday 17th October 2008

PM: Cut Prices at the Pumps

Too much variation in pump prices, says PM

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Brown and David Miliband at EU Council

Petrol suppliers have come under pressure to drop their prices and follow the lead of two major supermarket chains. Asda and Morrisons both brought their forecourt prices below £1 a litre, to reflect the falling cost of crude, but other suppliers have not been so forthcoming. Many fuel companies have been accused of profiteering because their prices are so high and now the Government has stepped in to shame them into giving motorists a better deal.

Garages in some parts of the country are still selling petrol for £1.20 a litre and Prime Minister Gordon Brown has accused them of overcharging drivers. Brown, speaking at the European Union summit in Brussels, told the Opec oil-producing cartel not to cut production after it was reported that this would be discussed next week in a meeting.

A Downing Street spokesman said that Mr Brown ‘has made clear that all institutions, including Opec, should act in the interests of global economic growth and stability at this challenging time for the world economy…Artificially increasing the oil price by reducing production will add to the difficulties faced by businesses and families across the world.’

The PM said there was too much variation in petrol prices across the UK. ‘In some areas, it is as high as £1.20 a litre. That must change. I think the public know that when oil prices go up it is reflected very closely in the pump price. They want to know when it comes down, it will be reflected equally.’

[The Black Flash]

Publicity-seeking tt.

[Fotofrog]

Err is Mr Brown actually *helping* us .. ?!

[Pingman]

The government should enforced petrol suppliers to charge the same price at every single one of their filling station forecourts.

A 20% difference from lowest to highest price is clearly profiteering and totally unacceptable.

[Baffled Spoon]

I’m loving the hypocrisy of Gordon Brown saying that the petrol companies are profiteering despite the fact he gets most of the pump price

[White-Noise]

Guess he didnt offer to take some of this out of his own pocket in the form of reducing the tax or subsidise it from the speed cameras (or the windfall they got over the last 6-12 months)? Why would he? And in the same vein, why would the OPEC nations not want to get top dollar? And again, if people are willing to pay that higher price at the pumps, then why should petrol companies reduce their profit because he asks them to 'nicely'?

[2woody]

how hypocritical. has he simply forgotten that he is the problem here ?

if it hadn't been for his 70% tax rate on fuel, we wouldn't all have been close to bancrupcy for all of this time.

[Andydurham]

Isn't it a little bit late for Brown to start trying to play the nice guy to the motorists?

Petrol prices are only so high in this country because he gets a criminal percentage of it in tax! I've still never understood how we pay fuel duty and then VAT on-top of that duty! It's taxing tax!

I think he is starting to scrape the barrel a bit with his schemes to win back the motorist's vote!

I wish he would do us all a favour and just fk off and resign!

[vtek]

if Gordon is so bothered, why don't he reduce taxes on fuel??

[DS1086]

vtek said:

if Gordon is so bothered, why don't he reduce taxes on fuel??

Because he's a fat tw@t?

[paolow]

DS1086 said:

vtek said:

if Gordon is so bothered, why don't he reduce taxes on fuel??

Because he's a fat tw@t?

[DamoLLb]

Government has stepped in to shame them into giving motorists a better deal

PH are you joking?

[PhantomPH]

Petrol is one thing, but has anyone noticed their home fuel bills dropping too? I have not. We get told that our household energy use is affected by the oil price as well, yet I see no evidence of this other than an upward spiral of cost!


As an aside, I am collecting my new Mazda6 MPS today which is thirsty, thirsty, thirsty! I wonder if V-Power price will drop a little, too?

[A1GOY]

DamoLLb said:

Government has stepped in to shame them into giving motorists a better deal

PH are you joking?

Yeah - he's shaming them into action. If the PM of a country gives you a bking, you're gonna listen. Maybe not much, but you'll still pay attention.

[cod man]

The fat tt is trying to get the petrol companies to lower the price so that he can wack on his overdue duty incerase with out anyone noticing or complaining too much. Snidey git!

[il-mostro]

Who is paying £1.20 a litre at the moment for petrol? I live in the North West area, admittedly not London, and i can buy Shell Petrol for £0.99p.9
A friend of mine in London is only paying about £1.06p.9, as of about a week ago, so who is paying so much???

[Gatso Hater]

[quote=Andydurham] I've still never understood how we pay fuel duty and then VAT on-top of that duty! It's taxing tax!

[spoonoff]

Enjoy it while it lasts- prices will soar again once the market balances out.

[cowellsj]

He can tell Opec to anything he fancies, at the end of the day they are interested in making money and they will do what's necessary to do so.

[_Lee_]

DamoLLb said:

Government has stepped in to shame them into giving motorists a better deal

PH are you joking?

I think the illogical responses to his comments are due to a general hate of Labour on these forums.

Rather than him being the hypocrite I actually think it's a lot of the forum members who are hypocrites who attack him whatever he does.

I'm a neutral I think all of the parties are as bad as each other in different ways, however I feel Gordon has done a damn good job in the past couple of weeks and I would rather have him right now than the slimy inexperienced Cameron.

[White-Noise]

il-mostro said:

Who is paying £1.20 a litre at the moment for petrol? I live in the North West area, admittedly not London, and i can buy Shell Petrol for £0.99p.9
A friend of mine in London is only paying about £1.06p.9, as of about a week ago, so who is paying so much???

106.9 here on the outskirts of London. Went out towards Thame last night and it was 107.9 at the same brand of station.