PM SIR Keir Starmer has promised Sun readers he will “drive down the cost of motoring” — starting with a £1.6billion blitz on Britain’s pothole plague.
He said it is now “extremely hard” to be a driver on a modest income and vowed to take on those hammering motorists at every turn.
ReutersSir Keir Starmer has promised to tackle the cost of motoring[/caption]
ReutersSpeaking from a Halfords repair shop, the PM said councils must prove they are actually fixing roads or lose out on funding[/caption]
Unveiling his investment plan to fix the country’s battered roads — and make councils prove the work is done — he said he also wanted to ease pressure at the pumps, in car parks and on insurance bills.
Sir Keir said: “We’ve got to look at all of these issues. Whether it’s insurance, whether it’s parking, whether it’s a number of other measures — it is extremely hard to be a motorist on a modest income these days. And yes, I do want to bear down on all that.
“I think we need to drive down the cost of motoring, because that’s a lifeline for so many people.”
He took aim at greedy fuel retailers for failing to pass on months of falling wholesale costs.
It comes after The Sun’s Keep It Down campaign has pressured ministers to keep fuel duty frozen for more than a decade.
If Chancellor Rachel Reeves had scrapped the 5p fuel duty cut in October, petrol prices would have easily soared past the pre-pandemic record of 142.5p a litre.
Sir Keir said: “I am concerned about whether the benefit the Government’s putting in place is being passed on.
“The reason for freezing fuel duty is to ensure the motorist is better able to afford getting around, using their car, their van, whatever it may be.
“It’s not as a bit of comfort for somebody else.
“So I want to make sure that is passed on, so that when we make decisions in central government about fuel duty that is then reflected in the pockets of working people across the country.”
Labour has formally committed to rolling out the Fuel Finder scheme by the end of 2025, requiring forecourts to share live price data so drivers can track the cheapest fuel available nearby.
Asked if the scheme could be fast-tracked, Sir Keir admitted: “Well, I don’t think we can bring that forward, but I am absolutely clear that we need to bear down on this.”
The scheme was first proposed by Britain’s competition watchdog after it found drivers were being ripped off at the petrol pumps.
The Sun also understands the Government’s motor insurance task force will be relaunched next month under Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and Treasury Minister Emma Reynolds.
The group will include insurers, brokers and consumer watchdogs — with a final action plan to help bring down premiums expected by September.
The task force was a manifesto pledge, but was delayed after then Transport Secretary Louise Haigh quit over a past conviction.
The PM admitted it is tricky to crack down on cowboy parking firms as they operate on private land, but vowed not to sit back.
On potholes, Sir Keir said he was delivering on a promise made to Sun readers eight months ago.
Speaking from a Halfords repair shop in Cambridge, he said councils must prove they are actually fixing roads or lose out on funding.
Under the new rules, councils must publish detailed reports or risk losing 25 per cent of their share of a £500million roads pot.
The wider road network will also benefit from a separate £4.8billion investment.
GettySir Keir said: ‘Councils must now tell us how many potholes they’ve filled in within the next few months, so we’ve got a record’[/caption]
Sir Keir said: “What we’ve done is set aside a record amount of money, allocate it, but importantly, for the first time ever, introduced a delivery mechanism.
“Councils must now tell us how many potholes they’ve filled in within the next few months, so we’ve got a record.
“Then we can rate them, so we know where they’re doing it well and where they’re not.
“Anybody who’s a driver will know, if you drive from one area to another, there is a difference in the quality of the roads. We can’t go on like that.”
He added: “This was a commitment I made to Sun readers in Opposition.
“I said that we would do this — and I absolutely understand how frustrating this is.”
CAR ‘CON’ CONCERN
SIR Keir Starmer said he “understands the concern” over TikTok influencers boasting of landing £30,000 cars through Motability.
The Sun has revealed social media users have posted guides on how to “game” the taxpayer-backed scheme.
It is designed to let disabled people use their benefits to lease a motor.
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