Starmer’s cost of living adviser urges him to extend fuel duty cut in light of Iran war

Richard Walker says a possible September rate rise should be scrapped to reflect increase in petrol prices A cut to fuel duty should be extended to reflect the rise in petrol prices, the government’s cost of living champion has said. Richard Walker, the executive chair of the supermarket chain Iceland, urged Keir Starmer not to raise the levy in September, in light of the conflict in the Middle East. The strait of Hormuz, a crucial trading artery between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, has been blockaded since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran at the end of February. A fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait, and its closure has sent global prices soaring, putting pressure on the world economy. Fuel duty is frozen until September, when the government will review any rise. Other countries such as Australia have already acted to shield motorists from soaring costs. Lord Walker, a Labour peer who was given the cost of living brief by Starmer in February, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday: “The 5p fuel duty cut that you allude to is an interesting one. That’s going to expire in September. I think, given where we are, we do need to be thinking and