UK Warns Petrol Retailers Against ‘Unfair Practices’ During Iran War
The price in pounds sterling is displayed on the screen of a fuel pump after a motorist refuelled their diesel car at a Tesco petrol station in Camberley, west of London on November 22, 2023. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) Britain’s energy minister warned petrol retailers on Friday that the government would not tolerate “unfair practices” amid a row over rising fuel prices sparked by the Middle East war. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569656851-0"); }); Executives from forecourt operators and firms including Asda, BP, ExxonMobil and Shell were called to Downing Street for talks with Ed Miliband and finance minister Rachel Reeves. The discussions were convened due to increasing concerns about the impact the conflict between the United States and Israel against Iran is having on already strained household finances. “We have said so clearly that we won’t tolerate unfair practices either here or anywhere else in the industry. It is our obligation as the government to ensure the consumers are treated fairly in this crisis,” said Miliband. READ ALSO: Middle East War: Global Economic Fallout Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569913499-0"); }); Reeves told the petrol bosses that she wanted an “open and frank conversation” with them. “We have concerns around the high prices and we do have a shared obligation,” she added. The meeting was earlier thrown into doubt when the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) threatened to pull out, accusing the government of using “inflammatory language” regarding rising fuel prices. The group claimed that recent comments by ministers were leading members of the public to abuse workers at petrol stations. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587799169-0"); }); Reeves had asked the competition watchdog to “crack down” on “rip-off” fuel prices to guard against profiteering over the high oil prices caused by the war. British automotive services company the RAC estimates that the average litre of unleaded petrol has risen from about £1.33 ($1.76) to £1.41, since the conflict began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Britain’s main opposition Conservative party is putting pressure on Reeves to cancel her intention to marginally increase fuel levies later this year. AFP Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587060870-0"); }); Join Our Whatsapp Channel To join: Simply click on the link below & turn on notifications to get the latest updates Subscribe to Our Newsletter In This Article: Iran Petrol UK More Stories How Nigeria Can Make More Money From Middle East Crisis – Jimoh Ibrahim Oil Stays Above $100, Stocks Slide Tracking Middle East War US Offers $10m Reward For Info On Iran’s Supreme Leader, Others /* * * CONFIGURATION VARIABLES: EDIT BEFORE PASTING INTO YOUR WEBPAGE * * / var disqus_shortname = 'channelstelevision'; // Required - Replace example with your forum shortname / * * DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE * * */ (function() { var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type = 'text/javascript'; dsq.async = true; dsq.src = '//' + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/embed.js'; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(dsq); })(); Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.