'Disingenuous!' Rachel Reeves accused of 'pointing the finger' while 'profiteering' from Britain's fuel crisis

Georgia Pearce
Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:40:11 +0000

The Shadow Energy Minister has launched a scathing attack on Rachel Reeves, branding the Chancellor as the true beneficiary of soaring fuel prices.

Andrew Bowie claimed the Treasury is pocketing a staggering £20million each day in additional tax revenue while British drivers face mounting costs at forecourts across the country.

Speaking to GB News, the Conservative MP questioned why this financial bonanza was not being directed towards relieving pressure on struggling households.

"For all the accusations of price gouging and profiteering by business, it turns out the only profiteering going on is by Rachel Reeves," Mr Bowie declared.

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He suggested that commuters filling up their vehicles would be questioning why the Government's unexpected gains were not being used to cushion the blow of elevated petrol and diesel prices.

Mr Bowie proposed that this tax windfall could be deployed to preserve the fuel duty freeze, which is due to lapse in September.

He said: "It could, for example, be used to maintain the fuel duty freeze, which is set to expire in September.

"That would give some comfort to drivers and motorists around the country who are seeing these costs go higher and higher, and wondering how on earth they are supposed to pay for an increase in duty on that fuel come September."

He argued the Government possessed the means to counterbalance what motorists were paying extra at the pump by using the Treasury's unexpected revenue.

Broadening his critique to encompass wider energy policy, Mr Bowie accused the Government of hampering its own efforts by curbing domestic oil and gas extraction.

The Conservative MP contended this approach was inflating costs for both ordinary households and British businesses alike.

"Because we are preventing ourselves from getting the gas and oil we need from our own waters, we could instead be seeing cuts to energy bills, cuts to fuel duty, and a whole host of other ways that money could be put to good use," he argued.

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Mr Bowie directed particular criticism at Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, attributing the situation to what he termed "eco-zealotry" combined with the Chancellor's "incompetence".

He said: "But because of Ed Miliband and his eco-zealotry, because of Rachel Reeves and, frankly, incompetence, we are seeing British people paying more to keep their lights on.

"They are paying more to keep their cars running, and British industry having to close down because energy prices in this country are so high."

He warned that British industry was being forced to shut down due to prohibitively high energy costs, whilst families paid more to heat their homes and run their vehicles.

Mr Bowie went further, condemning what he characterised as Government hypocrisy in summoning fuel company executives and supermarket bosses to accuse them of profiteering whilst the Treasury itself was benefiting from elevated prices.

"It is quite disingenuous of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor to be pointing fingers and calling others profiteers and price gougers, when actually it seems that it is the Government doing just that," he said.

The Shadow Minister called for the additional tax receipts to be channelled towards alleviating the cost of living pressures affecting people throughout the United Kingdom.

He insisted the Treasury's unexpected gains should be directed at offsetting the surge in everyday expenses that motorists and households were currently experiencing, rather than allowing the Government to profit whilst blaming others.