Political opinion: Horsham MP challenges Chancellor on soaring heating oil costs
Liberal Democrat MP for Horsham, John Milne, has urged the Chancellor to address the threat of soaring energy and fuel costs facing families and businesses across the constituency.
Speaking in the House of Commons today during Treasury Questions, Mr Milne challenged the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, directly on the crisis, highlighting the case of a constituent whose heating oil costs have risen to 129.90 pence per litre, plus VAT. The Horsham MP demanded immediate action from the government to address the crisis facing vulnerable residents.
In response, the Chancellor acknowledged the issue and stated that the government is working closely with the Competition and Markets Authority to stop price gouging, saying “there is no reason why a company should be charging twice as much as they were for heating oil.”
The call comes as oil and gas prices spiked dramatically, pushing petrol prices yesterday to their highest levels since 2022. The surge follows escalating conflict in the Middle East, raising fears of the impact on household budgets already strained by the cost-of-living crisis.
Mr Milne has called on the government to scrap the planned fuel duty rise and provide urgent reassurance that families will not face a £500 spike to their energy costs this year. He has also joined the Liberal Democrats in proposing a three-month zero-rating for VAT on heating oil for all residential homes and for the government to develop a mechanism to shield rural households from sudden price increases. He warned that rural households in the Horsham constituency who rely on heating oil are particularly vulnerable, as they are not protected by Ofgem's energy price cap.
Liberal Democrat MP for Horsham, John Milne, said: “Families in Horsham and across the country are living in real fear of the financial fallout from this crisis. The nail-biting climb in petrol prices is weighing heavily on people's minds. The government must scrap their planned fuel duty rise right now and reassure families that they won't be seeing a £500 spike to their energy costs this year.
“Rural households across Horsham who rely on heating oil are particularly exposed. They received no support when the government last intervened on energy bills, and they are not protected by the price cap. I welcome the Chancellor's acknowledgement that price gouging must be stopped, but we need concrete action now.”