London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

UK petrol and diesel prices hit record highs amid claims of profiteering

UK petrol and diesel prices hit record highs amid claims of profiteering

RAC attacks big retailers for pushing up cost of living as oil prices soar because of Russia-Ukraine crisis
Fuel prices on forecourts have hit a record high, piling further pressure on motorists and businesses and adding to the soaring inflation at the heart of the UK’s cost of living crisis.

Petrol reached 149.1p a litre on Monday, meaning it would cost £81.95 to fill a 55-litre family car, while diesel also reached a record at 152.6p, making a similar-sized full tank almost £84.

The motorists’ organisation RAC blamed the rise on profiteering by petrol retailers and stubbornly high oil prices caused by tension between Russia and Ukraine.

“The relentless rising price of fuel is hurting households up and down the country, furthering the cost of living crisis,” said the RAC fuel spokesperson, Simon Williams.

The threat of an invasion of Ukraine by Russia – one of the world’s largest oil producers – has helped drive a rally in the price of the fossil fuel, which was already recovering ground lost to the coronavirus pandemic.

A barrel of Brent crude was up 0.6% to $94 (£69) on Monday, helping push fuel prices beyond the record set a week ago.

However, the RAC accused big forecourt operators of needlessly inflating prices for motorists.

“While the price of oil is still close to $100 a barrel, wholesale fuel prices don’t merit further retailer rises across the board at the pumps,” Williams said.

“We realise that smaller retailers who don’t buy fuel as frequently will be hit by higher wholesale costs but the biggest retailers who buy all the time shouldn’t currently be increasing their forecourt prices. We urge them to play fair with drivers at this difficult time.”

“Tension between Russia and Ukraine is still weighing heavy on the oil price but there is now a glimmer of hope that more oil may come on to the market from Iran due to a possible nuclear agreement with the US to end sanctions,” he added.

Increased fuel prices are likely to exacerbate the cost of living crisis, which is being driven by higher energy prices and tax rises. Inflation has reached a 30-year high of 5.5% and has been predicted to reach 8% in April.

Higher fuel prices mean tighter finances for motorists but also drive up costs for businesses that rely on transporting goods, potentially leading to further price rises.

Jez Lamb, the founder of the Wirral-based craft beer marketplace Beers@No.42, said: “Delivery vans don’t run on fairy dust and we’re being absolutely hammered right now.

“As a business that ships throughout the UK, we rely heavily on the courier network, which will inevitably pass on the rising fuel prices in what is termed the ‘fuel surcharge’. The big question is, do we pass that on to our own customers?

“Wherever we can, we try to absorb these costs as much as we can but margins are being squeezed everywhere. Something has to give and, unfortunately, smaller businesses, as ever, are the ones to suffer.”

As prices at the pump hit new highs, the trade union Unite signalled the possibility of fresh disruption because of a pay dispute with ExxonMobil, which owns the Fawley oil refinery that provides about a fifth of the UK’s road fuel.

Unite has begun balloting about 100 workers at the Hampshire site, warning that strike action could follow in April unless Exxon improves its “insulting” pay offer.

The union said members employed by three contractors on the Fawley site – Trant Engineering Ltd, Veolia Services and Altrad Services – had been “stunned” by an offer of a 2.5% pay increase for the next two years, given inflation is at 5.5%.

Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “The employers need to take back this insulting pay offer, which is actually a cut, and think again.

“Our members have mounting bills to pay like everyone else, and with runaway inflation there is no way we will accept a derisory 2.5% for this workforce … They deserve so much than this from Exxon, which is making money from oil and gas hand over fist.”

An ExxonMobil spokesperson said: “We understand this matter relates to ongoing pay negotiations between members of the Unite the Union and their respective employers, which provide third-party contracting services to our operation at Fawley.

“We hope that all parties can work together to reach a swift and amicable resolution.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×