SUN readers are rightly outraged that petrol stations have been overcharging them at the pumps.
While wholesale costs were falling, supermarkets took in an extra £900million last year alone and have been keeping forecourt prices sky high.
Savings should have been passed on — they would have made a huge difference to ordinary, hard-working people at a time when families are struggling with increased living costs.
Those hit by these price hikes include van drivers, cabbies and parents ferrying children to school or elderly relatives to hospital appointments.
No one has campaigned harder than The Sun to hold rip-off retailers to account.
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And I want to reassure UK drivers that we are on your side.
There is no excuse, people across the country deserve fair prices at the pumps.
We take pride in our British businesses — and that’s why I was so disappointed to hear some had failed to treat their customers with respect in return.
No one is arguing businesses should not make a profit — of course they should.
But they need to be playing their part and treating people fairly, especially at a time when families have been coping with increased living costs.
The Government is saying enough is enough and, rest assured, I will be slamming the brakes down on this mistreatment of motorists.
On Monday, I will be calling in the bosses of Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s — as well as the likes of BP, Shell and Esso — to explain themselves.
These are some of our most trusted brands, used loyally by millions of Brits for essential groceries and other products every week.
I want to now hear how they are going to fix this.
I will be telling them to do the right thing and immediately end any attempt to overcharge at the pumps.
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And to put motorists in the driving seat, I will demand that these companies sign up to the Competition And Markets Authority’s scheme this summer to hand over their pricing information, so that fuel comparison apps and websites can help consumers compare local fuel rates more effectively.
This will help customers shop around for the best deals and encourage greater competition, which will in turn drive down prices.
But we will not be stopping there.
We will change the law so companies have to provide this price information whether they want to or not.
This will pave the way for easy-to-use price comparison apps and websites to help motorists vote with their wheels and find the cheapest pump prices in their area.
We’ve seen other sectors, such as open banking, use these tools to help customers find the best choice at the click of a button.
So it is about time road fuel retailers stepped up their game to give motorists the same fair service.
Unacceptable
This move follows a report last week from the independent watchdog, the Competition And Markets Authority, which found that some retailers have been charging drivers 6p more per litre for fuel.
For the four supermarket fuel retailers, this meant they made around £75million a month in extra revenue in 2022 alone.
This is not news to some campaigners such as Fair FuelUK, who have led the charge in calling out those who have deliberately inflated prices on forecourts.
We’ve heard you loud and clear — and we will not hesitate to act.
I will be choosing a public organisation to monitor the UK road fuel market to keep a close watch on prices at the pump.
The Government will then be alerted if fuel rates are hiked up again, so we can step in on any unacceptable attempt to rip off customers.
It is just one of the steps we are taking to halve inflation — one of the Government’s five priorities.
This Government will al- ways stand up for consumers as we continue our efforts to ease the cost of living for families.
Thanks to The Sun’s brilliant campaigning and the Government’s tough action, rip-off retailers are reaching the end of the road.
