Farmers, lorry drivers, and tradesmen to descend on Westminster in 'national fuel tax protest'

Alice Tomlinson
Sat, 25 Apr 2026 12:15:06 +0000

Farmers, lorry drivers and tradesmen are set to descend on Westminster in the first "national fuel tax protest" in two decades.

Organised by Reform UK, the demonstration is due to take place on Monday morning and will call on the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to address the "out of control" fuel prices.

The protest will feature speeches from party members, who will call for the cutting of fuel duty and a reduction of VAT to soften the sharp spike of fuel prices that UK households and businesses have been subject to since the war in Iran kicked off.

Robert Jenrick, Reform's spokesman for the Treasury, took to social media to promote the protest.

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In the video, he said: "Millions of people are suffering as a result of the cost petrol and diesel at the forecourts - care workers, cabbies, white van men - you name it.

"Yet, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Treasury... is doing nothing.

"In fact, it's even worse than that - she's raking it in with all the taxes and yet she's refusing to cut VAT and won't even rule out an increase in fuel duty she's got coming down the line."

Mr Jenrick called upon drivers to join Monday's protest in order to "send a powerful message" that "enough is enough".

Approximately £35billion is raised by fuel tax across the UK.

The Treasury levies around 50 per cent in tax for every litre of fuel purchased.

This comes as protests have been organised throughout Ireland over the price of fuel, which saw tractors, lorries and other vehicles block traffic as petrol stations across the country ran out of fuel.

The Irish army had to be deployed to manage the protests.

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Britain's exposure to the global price shock caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz applies to both petrol and diesel, since fuel prices are set internationally regardless of domestic supply.

In peacetime, the critical waterway carries roughly one fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas and the crude oil.

The final tankers to pass through before the conflict began arrived in Europe last week.

A full reopening is not expected for many months as the US and Iran continue their delicate ceasfire.

Howard Cox, founder of FairFuelUK and a former Reform UK London mayoral candidate, warned the price rises were already having a devastating real-world impact, the Times reports.

He said: "We are finding that people are not going to hospital appointments simply because they can't afford to get there.

"We are seeing white van men not going to chase up quotes because they can't afford to get there.

"It could cost them 30 quid to go and give a quote when they might not get it."

With fuel the second-highest cost for the transport industry, passenger bus and coach operators have reported bills rising by as much as 50 per cent.

Roland Eglinton, managing director of Chalkwell Coach Hire in Kent, warned his fleet of 55 diesel vehicles could be forced to cancel school runs and special needs transfer services if prices do not fall.

The National Farmers Union said it was closely monitoring red diesel prices, describing the situation as "critical" and warning that food prices would likely rise as a result.

Martin Williams, a Herefordshire livestock and arable farmer, said the increase in red diesel costs was adding £160 per tractor per day to his outgoings.

He said: "It's horrible actually, it makes you consider if jobs are worth doing. Recreational farming comes to a halt when the diesel price doubles."

The protest will start at 9am on Monday, beginning at Whitehall.