Reform UK’s Lee Anderson and Robert Jenrick (Image: PA)
Robert Jenrick believes people “should take to the streets” to show how angry they are over fuel price hikes. Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman supported farmers threatening to blockade Britain’s roads unless Rachel Reeves lowers the cost of red diesel used for tractors.
When asked whether he would be concerned about supply chain disruptions heaping more pressure on households because of blockades, he said: “No, I think people should take to the streets. Show how angry they are and demand that Rachel Reeves does something about it.
“Rachel Reeves is behaving like a bystander. She’s the chancellor. She should do something to lighten the load. For farmers, this is almost existential. It comes on the back of the family farms tax, the war on the countryside that this government is waging at the moment. The cost of filling up a tractor is incredibly high at the moment with red diesel prices so Reeves should take action.”
Read more: Jenrick urges people to ‘take to the streets’ and show their anger with Reeves
Read more: Robert Jenrick suspected Nigel Farage could ‘p*** everybody off’ in Reform UK
When asked about supply chain disruptions heaping more pressure on households because of blockades, he said: “No, I think people should take to the streets. Show how angry they are and demand that Rachel Reeves does something about it.”
The risk of protests will add pressure on Ms Reeves to announce support for drivers battling rocketing fuel costs.
Mr Jenrick appeared at a Gulf forecourt in Lowdham, Nottingham, today where he slashed its prices by 13p a litre for petrol and 16 for diesel.
The price reduction, which was funded by Reform UK, is the same as the saving from halving VAT on fuel to 10%, which Nigel Farage’s party has called on the Chancellor to do for three months as an emergency response to the Iran war.
Mr Jenrick was heckled by Green Party activists when he encouraged the Chancellor to implement the policy.
He said: “What we are saying, very clearly, is she should do an emergency cut in petrol and diesel. Half the VAT and that would make an immediate impact – whether for farmers, for white van men, for anyone frankly whose driving to work, taking their kids to school or getting around.
“So many other countries are doing exactly the same at the moment – from Australia, Spain, to the Republic of Ireland, and yet our chancellor and our government is doing absolutely nothing and it’s a disgrace.”
Pump prices have stopped rising after 43 days of increases which saw petrol go up 25.5p to 158.3p and diesel 49p to 191.54p.
Third generation farmer Simon Richardson, 52, had Mr Jenrick fill one of his farming vehicles which takes up to 300 litres of diesel.
The poultry farmer, from Fenton near Lincoln, who has been forced to diversify said it could cost him an extra £6,000 extra a year to run that vehicle – one of several in his fleet.
When asked whether he thought farmers could take to the streets and blockade, he said: “I think so. It’s not something I’ve thought about but it’s been a tough winter for farmers, with all the rain everybody is struggling to make pay so I can see things getting worse. Those costs will have to be passed on which I think is unfair to the general public and consumers.
“Rachel Reeves needs to do something to support the rural community with this fuel duty. But the government are just doing nothing. They’re just sat there doing absolutely nothing and I feel they need to do something.”
Ms Reeves, who is attending the International Monetary Fund’s spring meetings in Washington DC, has said families and businesses across Britain are bearing the cost of instability “they did not cause”.
Fuel duty has been frozen since 2011, and was cut by 5p in 2022 in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At her budget last year, Ms Reeves said the 5p cut would be unwound between September 2026 and March 2027.
A Treasury spokesman said: “Farmers are paying more because of the war in Iran – this is not our war and that is why we did not join it. The Chancellor has made clear that our economic approach to this crisis will be both responsive to a changing world and responsible in the national interest.”
“We are determined to help keep costs down – red diesel continues to benefit from an 80% tax discount – saving farmers almost £300 million a year – while we’re providing £11.8 billion to support farm costs.”