Motorists should “fill up as normal” as the government is “well prepared” for disruption, a senior minister has said as fuel prices soar.
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips the public should listen to trade bodies, such as the RAC, as the cost of petrol climbed above an average of 150p per litre – an increase of more than 17p since the Iran war started at the end of February.
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“They’ve been absolutely clear that if you go to the pump, just fill up as normal, continue as you are,” she said.
“We’ve got the security of what is coming in, and production isn’t affected.
“I think people should take note of what those trade bodies are saying.”
She insisted the government “will always plan for what we need to do” in the event of any disruption, adding: “We are well prepared.”
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However, energy economist Nick Butler told Sky News there will be shortages due to Iran blocking tankers from the Strait of Hormuz, and said the government cannot leave it “to the anarchy of the open market” so they will need to intervene.
Ms Phillipson said the most important issue is to de-escalate the Iran war and noted that the energy price cap is coming down in April.
However, it is only set until June and Ms Phillipson could not give any guarantees after that.
“We will take a view closer to the time, but what we hope will happen between now and then is that we do see a de-escalation of the conflict,” she added.
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The Conservatives, Reform and the Lib Dems have been calling for the government to scrap fuel duty rises due to come in from September because of the situation in Iran.
But Ms Phillipson said there is “no need to take action” at the moment and refused to “commit months ahead of time”.
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Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips she did not think fuel should be rationed right now, but said the government should firstly start drilling in the North Sea.
She brushed off suggestions it would take years for North Sea oil and gas to come on stream and insisted “gas will be coming out of Jackdaw before winter”, in reference to the Shell-owned gas field east of Aberdeen.
Last year, the Labour government banned new oil and gas licensing to focus on homegrown renewable energy, but Ms Badenoch said “the right thing right now is not to bankrupt the country”.
“What we need is cheap, abundant energy, it should be clean,” she said.
“And that means doing everything we can – nuclear, renewables and oil and gas.”
