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Chancellor Rachel Reeves urged to scrap fuel duty hike amid oil price fears
The Chancellor has been urged to scrap the proposed hike in fuel duty as concerns have been raised about the conflict in the Middle East.
Rachel Reeves announced last year that the long-held discount in fuel duty would be scrapped from September, with a 1p hike followed by two increases of 2p each in subsequent years.
But following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran at the weekend – which killed the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – concerns have been raised about the impact of oil price hikes which could hit consumers at the pumps.
Following the attack, the price of oil jumped to 80 US dollars a barrel, with some analysts suggesting it could rise above 100 dollars.
Speaking ahead of the spring statement, SNP economy spokesman Dave Doogan said: ““With real fears that prices at the pump are now set to soar because of the situation in the Middle East – instead of stubbornly doubling down, the Chancellor needs to scrap her price hike plans before motorists face a devastating double hit.
“Oil prices are already spiking – the last thing motorists and businesses now need is another damaging tax hike from the Labour Party.
“The Chancellor needs to see sense, recognise what is unfolding globally, and immediately scrap her plans to hike prices at pumps.
“Everyone knows that Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has broken their promise to cut energy bills by £300 – it would be another slap in the face for families if Labour made the cost-of-living crisis even worse with a plan that will inevitably increase prices.
“After 14 U-turns from this chaotic Labour Government – scrapping their plans to hike fuel duty is one U-turn motorists, businesses and families right across Scotland would actually welcome.”
A spokeswoman for the Treasury said: “We have extended the 5p fuel duty cut from this month to the end of August to support drivers across the country.”
One man says he cancelled his holiday to Spain due to the rising costs and uncertainty.
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MUMBAI: Vijay Singh, a former Indian defence secretary whose eligibility as a trustee has come under legal challenge, absented himself from the board meeting of the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution on Friday, the latest sign of an intensifying governance dispute within India’s most powerful philanthropic network.The challenge was brought by Mehli Mistry, a former trustee, before the Maharashtra charity commissioner, questioning the appointments of Singh and Venu Srinivasan as trustees of Bai Hirabai. Mistry cited clauses in the 1923 trust deed requiring all trustees to be Zoroastrians and permanent residents of Mumbai, and argued that neither of them met those conditions.Srinivasan, chairman emeritus of TVS Motors, stepped down citing other commitments, but later acknowledged he had done so at the request of Tata Trusts management. Singh declined a similar request. Those present at the Friday meeting included chairman Noel Tata, trustees Darius Khambata and Jehangir HC Jehangir, the last of whom joined by video conference from Europe. Jimmy Tata, Noel’s older half-brother and a fellow trustee, was again absent. Singh confirmed he did not attend the meeting. A person familiar with the proceedings said the board discussed, among other matters, Mistry’s objections and next steps.The dispute has exposed a deeper legal tension. Both Srinivasan and Singh alleged that Tata Trusts had withheld from them a legal opinion by former chief justice of India MH Kania, who held that the restrictive eligibility clauses in Bai Hirabai’s trust deed were “bad in law.” That interpretation had previously allowed former Tata Group director RK Krishnakumar to be inducted onto the board. Tata Trusts said irrespective of that opinion and past precedent, appointments of non-Zoroastrians remained open to challenge under the deed’s provisions, adding that a legal opinion did not substitute for a judicial pronouncement. The commissioner has yet to order a formal inquiry. Bai Hirabai was endowed by Sir Ratan Tata, younger son of Tata Group founder Jamsetji Tata, who bequeathed properties in Mumbai and Navsari to the institution, the provenance that gives its century-old deed its continuing legal force.
The UK’s biggest mobile providers have been outperformed by smaller rivals in an annual customer service survey by watchdog Which?
Three, O2 and Lycamobile were the lowest performing networks in the survey of more than 5,000 mobile users, receiving customer scores of 65%, 67% and 68% respectively.
Three received a two-star rating in every category including network reliability and technical support, the consumer group found.
O2 received just two stars for value for money and customer service, shortly after it increased its annual price rises from £1.80 to £2.50 a month for all customers.
Lycamobile received four stars for value for money but two stars in every other category.
EE and Vodafone achieved scores of 74% and 72% respectively, although Which? described them as “stuck in the middle to lower reaches of the table”.
Talkmobile topped the rankings with a customer score of 83% followed by Tesco Mobile on 81%, with both impressing customers with their network reliability, customer service and value for money.
Other top-rated networks included Giffgaff and Smarty, which both received a score of 79%, driven by their flexibility and affordable Sim-only deals.
Lebara and 1pMobile both achieved a score of 78%, with customers praising 1pMobile’s network reliability and value for money and Lebara earning five stars for value for money.
According to the survey, respondents using one of the ‘big four’ – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone – paid an average of £16 for a Sim-only contract, compared with just £9 on smaller networks.
For contracts including a phone, users paid an average £40 with the ‘big four’ compared with £28 with smaller providers.
Many smaller firms use the infrastructure of the ‘big four’, meaning customers often receive the same signal and coverage.
Which? head of home products and services, Natalie Hitchins, said: “Our latest research shows that smaller providers are consistently outshining the industry’s largest mobile firms by offering better customer service and far cheaper deals.
“Many top-rated challengers avoid mid-contract price hikes, offering households struggling with the cost of living much-needed certainty.
“Any customers nearing the end of their contract who are unhappy with their service, or simply looking to save money, should not hesitate to vote with their feet and move to a provider that actually delivers on value.”
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