Reeves says Treasury policies are always 'under review' when asked about planned fuel duty hike
Chancellor Rachel Reeves was questioned on whether she would return to the House of Commons at the end of the current parliamentary session to reconsider the planned fuel duty increase this autumn, should petrol prices rise significantly due to an extended conflict in the Middle East. Reeves replied:
"The price today of petrol is 8 pence per litre lower than if I had followed the plans that were left to me by the previous Conservative government. And from April they will be 11 pence per litre lower.
Of course, we keep these things under review. But if you look at petrol prices, oil prices today, they are 24% lower than they were yesterday.
So things are very volatile at the moment, which is why, as I said yesterday, the most important thing we can do to address the cost of living challenges people face is to de-escalate the conflict in the Middle East."
Number 10 reported that over 45,000 British nationals have returned to the UK from the Middle East since the crisis began. The prime minister’s spokesman updated reporters that on Monday, 32 flights carrying 7,400 British nationals arrived in the UK from the region.
"Today, Tuesday, 36 flights, are scheduled to land in the UK today, with eight flights I think landing so far," the spokesman added.
As of the morning of the statement, 173,000 British citizens had registered their presence with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
’s Midlands correspondent was present at the Reform party press conference in Derbyshire, where Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick announced a pledge to reverse Labour’s planned fuel duty increase.
At the forecourt in Newhaven, rebranded as ‘Reform, Refuel’ with a promotion of ‘25p off with Farage’, the party subsidised a 25p per litre cut in petrol prices for motorists for one day.
Farage and Jenrick criticised what they termed "net zero madness" and stated the party would fund its plans by eliminating "lunatic green levies," specifically referencing the boiler upgrade scheme.
Jenrick was challenged regarding his previous support for net zero policies under former Conservative governments. He responded:
"I was the second Conservative MP to call net zero a ‘fantasy’.
It was never going to be achieved, that it was impoverishing our country … It was a huge mistake, and all of us who were involved in that should appreciate it."
Migration Minister Mike Tapp attributed the government’s proposal to increase the standard qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK from five to ten years to the country’s "crumbling" infrastructure.
Defending the proposal before the House of Lords Home Affairs Committee, Tapp stated that many applicants for settlement would seek social support, which the country cannot sustain.
"Many of those people are due to settle soon, and that [ILR after five years] would put untold stresses on our welfare system and social housing, for example. So by making it retrospective, we take that pressure off of the already buckling system,"he said.
Tapp denied the measure was motivated by cost savings to the exchequer:
"It’s not a money saving exercise. It’s looking after the infrastructure of the nation that’s already crumbling. We’ve inherited a really difficult situation when it comes to housing and welfare,"he told the committee.
He also mentioned that the public consultation had received 200,000 responses, which could take "months" to review.
During the committee session, Lord Dubs questioned Tapp about Shamima Begum, the stateless former British citizen who left an East London school at age 15 to join ISIS, regarding the deprivation of her citizenship.
"I maintain my statement that if you join a terror organisation to harm this country, you shouldn’t be here. Of course there are rights of appeal,"Tapp replied.
Mike Tapp also admitted he did not know the height of the London Eye, a question included in the Home Office’s Life in the UK test, which citizenship applicants must pass before naturalisation.
When repeatedly asked by Lord Bath, chair of the committee, about the relevance of this question, Tapp stated:
"I don’t know the height of the London Eye."
Upon being asked if this would cause him to fail the test, Tapp responded:
"I’m confident that I would be able to pass the test. Absolutely. I’m a proud Brit. I’ve served the country."
A UK government minister has stated that police are expected to take "robust action" against those expressing support for the Iranian regime ahead of a pro-Palestinian rally in London this weekend.
Sarah Sackman spoke ahead of the annual Al Quds Day march in London, organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC). The IHRC asserts the event has been peaceful for 40 years and aims to highlight the ongoing plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
However, previous events have seen participants waving flags of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese group banned in the UK as a terrorist organisation, and chanting slogans calling for death to America and Israel.
The courts minister told LBC radio on Tuesday:
"Those expressing support for the malign regime in Iran and the IRGC and its proxies have no place in our society.
They shouldn’t be on the streets of London calling for hate and hostility against this country. That’s thoroughly anti-British and I expect the police and the home secretary to take the necessary action against those people."
On Times Radio, she added:
"I’m clear that hate marches like the Al Quds march has no place in British society and the authorities and the police should take the enforcement action needed against these marches."
The Metropolitan Police has indicated it has not ruled out various options ahead of the march, including seeking an outright ban on the rally this weekend.
You can watch the chancellor responding to questions here:
Reeves recognises 'motoring costs have evolved significantly' and says she is taking action
When asked about measures to ensure HMRC-approved mileage rates are current, Reeves said:
"While the approved mileage allowance payment rates have not changed since 2011, I recognise that motoring costs have evolved significantly, and it’s an important issue for many people who claim motoring expenses.
We are therefore looking at the issue and will consider the matter further in the usual way as part of a future fiscal event.
Through steps like freezing fuel duty, we’re taking wider action in the meantime to ensure people pay the lowest price possible at the pump, whether or not they use the approved mileage allowance payments."
The current 45p per mile rate was established in 2011. Former minister Jim McMahon estimated that current car running costs average about 67p per mile.
Rachel Reeves is currently answering Treasury questions in the House of Commons. Key points will be reported.
Before questions from journalists, Nigel Farage pledged to reverse the government’s planned fuel duty hike by eliminating what he described as "lunatic" net zero levies.
Speaking at Newhaven services on Tuesday, Farage said:
"The way we sneakily do tax in this country means there’s about 6p going on a litre of petrol staged over the course of the next few months. And this is just about the last time this should happen.
How are we going to pay for not increasing taxes? Well, we’re going to get rid of lunatic green levies. In particular, I’m thinking about heat pump subsidies."
Farage has made opposition to net zero policies a central theme of Reform’s electoral platform. Last year, he claimed the government could save over £40bn annually by abandoning net zero commitments, though he later acknowledged much of this figure represented private-sector investment, which does not affect public spending.
Robert Palmer, deputy director of campaign group Uplift, criticised Farage, stating:
"It’s clear that the only route to lower bills and secure energy is to free ourselves from oil and gas through homegrown renewable energy and upgrading homes, whether that’s with solar panels or heat pumps. This is just common sense in today’s world.
New North Sea drilling will make no difference to UK energy bills and have no meaningful impact on the UK’s supply of gas."
The Ministry of Defence announced that the landing ship RFA Lyme Bay is being prepared for potential deployment to the eastern Mediterranean. The vessel is equipped with aviation and medical facilities.
Additionally, the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is scheduled to be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean to assist in protecting Cyprus and RAF bases there from further drone or missile attacks.
As reported by colleague Dan Sabbagh, France has already taken action, and French President Emmanuel Macron met Cyprus’s President Nikos Christodoulides and Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday.
Britain has faced criticism from Cyprus for not acting swiftly enough to protect the country, which hosts two UK bases.
Farage: UK can't get directly involved in 'another foreign war'; doesn't 'have a navy'
When asked to clarify Reform’s position, Farage stated:
"We cannot get involved directly in another foreign war. We don’t have a navy. We can’t even defend our own military base in Cyprus."
