IN FULL: Starmer DELAYS 5p fuel duty increase to help families with cost of living during PMQs

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Families across the United Kingdom are facing impacts of a war uh that we did not choose. So it's welcome news today that inflation is falling.

[00:00:10]>> Mr. Speaker, there is more that we can do and I can announce today that we're giving our holers a 12 month road tax holiday helping to keep prices down.

[00:00:21]>> And we're backing drivers by extending the freeze in fuel duty for the rest of the year.

[00:00:27]This is possible because of the decisions taken by the chancellor, making us the fastest growing economy in the G7, and she will set out further action tomorrow. Mr. Speaker, this is not our war. But while the parties opposite wanted to jump into it, Labor will always protect working people.

[00:00:45]>> LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION, KEVIN B.

[00:00:50]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'd like to associate myself with the words of the prime minister regarding the tragic death of Lance Bombardia Kira Sullivan.

[00:00:59]We send our condolences to her family for this terrible loss. Um I welcome uh some of what the prime minister has said on fuel duty. Yes, it's it's still a freeze, but we asked him about this on the 11th of March and the 25th of March, and he said he wasn't going to do it.

[00:01:14]So, thank you for the U-turn.

[00:01:16]>> Thank you for the U-turn.

[00:01:20]Labour MPs are shaking their heads. It would make more sense if they did just did what we were doing because they get there in the end anyway.

[00:01:28]>> But Mr. Speaker, yesterday Labour MPs voted to ban new British oil and gas licenses. Why?

[00:01:38]>> Mr. Speaker, in relation to uh fuel duty, under the plans that we inherited, uh fuel duty was due to go up by 5% in April.

[00:01:48]We stopped that and they voted against it. We're now extending the freeze because of events in the Middle East. I know the leader of the opposition likes to claim responsibility for things that have got literally nothing to do with her. In her mind, she won Eurovision on Saturday and scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final. [laughter] But she's never takes any responsibility for what they did for 14 long years. Mr. Speaker, in relation to oil and gas, oil and gas is coming out of the North Sea 24/7. It will play an important role for many years to come. We're we're supporting existing oil and gas fields throughout their lifespan. We made changes actually in November to allow neighboring fields to be exploited. But families across the UK are fed up with their bills going up and down because of global contract. The only way to take control is through renewables.

[00:02:43]>> Mr. Speaker, we've now consented renewables to power 23 million households. The leader of the opposition wants to stick with the old Tory energy policy, which is leaving households exposed to higher bills year after year.

[00:02:59]>> Mr. Speaker, what's uh causing problems for British consumers is the high energy prices which are caused by his policies.

[00:03:07]I asked him why they voted for this. He had no answer. So let me make clear what is going on. We are losing a thousand jobs a month in oil and gas. I asked him about new licenses, not about existing drilling.

[00:03:21]>> And then late last night, Mr. Speaker, the government snuck out an announcement that it was removing sanctions on Russian oil.

[00:03:32]So, can the prime minister explain why oil from Russia is acceptable, but oil from Abedine is not?

[00:03:41]>> Well, Mr. Speaker, let me address the sanctions head on. Um, because we have been united across this house on these issues uh since the beginning of the conflict. What we announced yesterday was a strong new package of new sanctions >> going well beyond existing sanctions.

[00:03:59]So, it's a new package. This includes new bans on maritime services on LNG and new bans on refined oil products from Russia.

[00:04:09]>> We also issued two targeted short-term licenses >> to phase the new sanctions in and to protect UK consumers. Mr. Speaker, that is standard practice. This government has used this government has phased in sanctions in this way before and the last government used exactly the same technique when they introduced sanctions and when they did so, Mr. Speaker, we supported them because we could see the sanctions were the right thing to do to bear down on on on Russia. So these are new sanctions being phased in. This is not a question of lifting existing sanctions in any way whatsoever and we will continue to work with our allies on further sanction packages.

[00:04:57]>> Not this very weak set of cheers from the MPs who are trying to get rid of him. Can I just say Mr. Speaker, he doesn't know what he is talking about.

[00:05:06]This level of processology is not going to get him out of these difficult answers. Okay, let me tell him what is going on. Labor are giving money to Russia. Reform are taking money from Russia. There's only one party that is standing up to Russia and that is the Conservative Party.

[00:05:24]I cannot I cannot believe I cannot believe that he is actually saying that he's doing something good on the war in Ukraine. What's he talking about this morning? Ukraine's sanction chief disagrees with what the prime minister's approaches. That's what Ukraine is saying. In March, when the United States the United States e sanctions on Russia, the prime minister said all partners should maintain pressure on Russia and its war chest. The prime minister said our sanctions our sanctions remain and there is no question about that. What's changed? Yeah, you're not listening. I >> I really think on an issue of this importance uh which is about further sanctions on Russia in relation to Ukraine, >> it it is really important that the position is not misrepresented.

[00:06:13]>> Exactly.

[00:06:14]>> This is a new package of sanctions. None of the existing sanctions are being lifted in any way. So this is not less pressure on Russia. It is more pressure uh on Russia. More pressure than there was the day before yesterday. more pressure there was under the last government.

[00:06:32]>> What is happening is that those sanctions are being phased in in a way which was used by the last government when they introduced new sanctions. We bothered to do the processology and work out what we were doing and supported it because we could see that it put more uh pressure on Russia. Similar methods are used by other countries. They are done because of the impact on the market and to protect UK consumers. These are new sanctions putting more pressure on Russia. And I think if she'd done her homework, she'd actually support us on this.

[00:07:08]Mr. Speaker, being patronizing is not a substitute for understanding policy. AND I'VE HEARD I'VE HEARD THIS TERM, MR. SPEAKER, I've heard this term before.

[00:07:20]This is the same tone he used during the Mandlesson scandal. and they were all cheering and then it turned out that he was wrong, wrong, wrong. He says that other countries are doing this. The EU is not doing this. Let me make it clear.

[00:07:32]I know it hurts him to hear it. He is now choosing to buy dirty Russian oil.

[00:07:38]That money will be used to fund the killing of Ukrainian soldiers. Isn't he ashamed?

[00:07:49]I I I really think that to misunderstand and misrepresent what is happening >> this really this is a very serious issue where we're working with these are new bans they're new sanctions they're new bans on maritime services on LNG as of yesterday they're new bans on refined oil products from Russia as of yesterday they are being phased in in the same way that previous sanctions regimes have been phased in exactly in the way the last government did and we have done. Other countries do exactly the same. The EU has its own way of doing it. Australia and Canada have their own way of doing it. And and and to play party politics on Ukraine on Ukraine where we have stood firm and the only people that benefit when we play party politics in here on Russia and Ukraine is Putin.

[00:08:46]>> Mr. Mr. Speaker, that pompous tone does not cover for the fact that he has got his policy all wrong. I have asked him about oil and gas again and again and again. The last time he told me that it was the energy secretary's job and it had nothing to do with him. That's what's destroying this country. It's not playing politics. It's speaking up for the people who are out there. The fact is more people are buying Russian oil because British oil isn't being drilled.

[00:09:11]He's sanctioning British oil, but not Russian oil. And he should be ashamed, Mr. Speaker, he should be ashamed. I cannot believe that this prime minister, even when he has nothing to lose, continues to defend banning new British oil and gas licenses.

[00:09:28]>> In April, Britain saw the single biggest drop in employment ever since the pandemic. That's under them. 210,000 people have lost their jobs in the last year. what he is doing is going to cost thousands more people their jobs especially in cities like Abedine which rely on oil and gas.

[00:09:50]>> So can he tell us why is he doing everything to save his job and doing nothing to save other people's jobs?

[00:09:59]>> Mr. Speaker, there is drilling uh in the North Sea and on her she said there's no she said there's no drilling in the North Sea. She's going to have to refer herself refer herself to the privileges committee. Uh Mr. Speaker, there is drilling. It's 24/7 and oil and gas are coming out and that will be important for many many years to come. We are expo we are supporting those existing oil and gas fields throughout their lifespan. We made changes in November to allow neighboring fields to be exploited. But it is because we are on the international market that our prices of businesses and households go up every time there's an international conflict.

[00:10:37]We saw it with Ukraine or we saw it with Iran. And people are fed up with a government, the last government that didn't take control of their bills.

[00:10:45]We're taking control of their bills. The way to do that is through renewables and that's what we're doing.

[00:10:51]>> Mr. Speaker, it gets worse and worse. He doesn't understand the policy. I am asking him about new oil and gas licenses. New oil and gas licenses which they voted against yesterday. If they had approved those licenses for Jack Door and Rosebank like we did, we would have that oil in this country now. We would. And just listen to him and I wonder if he is okay. He is so deep in the bunker, Mr. Speaker. He's importing sanctioned Russian oil. He's nationalizing steel. He's imposing price controls in the supermarket. It's like the Soviets won. This country needs a government that has got its acts together. Mr. Speaker, instead what we have is a prime minister hanging by a thread, fake support from his backbenches, too scared to take difficult decisions, losing his moral compass by backsliding on Ukraine. Yes, he is. Mr. Speaker, look, the the the shakes of their head are so feeble.

[00:11:47]They're so so feeble. He has got they can It's absolutely laughable, Mr. Speaker.

[00:11:58]It's absolutely laughable. Yesterday, we saw them huddled in the corridors talking about Andy Burnham and West Streeting. The fact is he's got a cabinet fighting to replace him. And the worst part is they aren't getting rid of him over his terrible agenda. No, they actually like it. They just want a better salesman. So, isn't it the case, Mr. speaker that it doesn't matter who replaces him. The real problem is the Labor Party.

[00:12:28][cheering] >> Uh Mr. Speaker, uh uh >> I think not. Prime Minister, >> Mr. Speaker, look, a lot's been happening in recent days, so she may have overlooked the fact that last last week the ONS announced we've got the fastest growing economy in the G7.

[00:12:48]Last week, we had the biggest fall in NHS waiting list for 17 years.

[00:12:54][cheering] Today, inflation's come down more than expected.

[00:13:00]>> And, Mr. Speaker, if you'd offered me that and Arsenal becoming Premier League champions, I'd take it every day of the week.

[00:13:08]B