Emergency plans could be enacted should the Middle East crisis lead to a shortage of fuel – including giving some groups such as emergency services being given priority
Plans to allow for fuel rationing are ready to be used if a major hit to oil supplies from the Middle East war drags on.
The measures would potentially see fuel prioritised for the emergency services. Ordinary drivers would be at the end of the line. Now we’re asking Mirror readers if you are you think some groups should prioritised over others.
The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero has laid out plans under its National Emergency Plan for Fuel, detailing how rationing would operate in practice should it be enforced and who would be given priority.
It comes as a virtual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran has crippled exports of oil from the Gulf – and fuel prices around the world, including the UK, have jumped as a result.
READ MORE: UK fuel rationing plans: Who would get priority if government confirms emergency measuresREAD MORE: Middle East war oil price surge to ‘trigger profits and £427m a month tax windfall’
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Given how many rely on their cars, households are really feeling the effects of the conflict in the Middle East.
“The average price of unleaded has now risen more than 14p a litre to 147.19p since the end of February, adding £8 to the cost of filling up a family car, which currently stands at £81. Petrol was last this high in early June 2024.
“For drivers of diesel vehicles, the situation is far worse, with a litre up 29p to 171.17p, its highest price for more than three years. This means a tank now costs £94, £16 more than it did at the start of the conflict.
“As a barrel of oil has been trading well over $100 for the last three days and looks set to remain at that level, drivers are in for a rough ride at the pumps in the run-up to the Easter break with no end to price increases in sight.
“With the price of petrol likely to go above 150p a litre in the next week and diesel heading to 180p, it’s looking like it will be the most expensive Easter on the roads since the early days of the war in Ukraine in 2022.”
Nick Butler, ex-head of strategy at BP and a former advisor to Labour PM Gordon Brown, warned last week: “There will be a real, physical shortage of supply in a few weeks’ time.
“How long that goes on we don’t know, but I think the government here must now be preparing for a significant shortfall of supply over the next two months.
“I think it does mean a form of rationing. I think we learnt from the tanker drivers dispute in 2000 that oil and gas supplies are absolutely crucial to the running of the economy and you can’t bring on new supplies quickly.”
The National Emergency Plan for Fuel, which is available on the gov.uk website, reportedly includes limiting speeds to 50mph on all roads.
It also stipulates that emergency services and “critical service vehicles” would be prioritised above all other drivers.
Next in line would be utilities such as gas and electricity suppliers and water companies, followed by public transport, including buses and diesel trains.
Commercial vehicles would then be prioritised, such as lorries transporting food to and from supermarkets, and health-related deliveries.
Finally, ordinary motorists could be subject to limits on the quantity of petrol they can purchase at once, and may also face reduced operating hours at petrol stations.
When questioned if the Government was preparing to implement such plans, Dan Tomlinson told Times Radio: “At the moment, it is too early to tell what the impact of this crisis will be in the coming months.
“What we have seen in the last two weeks is that there has been sharp increase in the cost of oil used to heat people’s homes, and the Government has stepped in and said we’re going to provide £50 million of support for people across the UK who are reliant on heating oil.”
Pressed again on whether the Government was making contingency plans to ration petrol, Mr Tomlinson stated: “We will monitor the situation, and we’ll monitor it carefully.”
The government insisted, while the plans exist, they were there only for emergencies. It said petrol stations in the UK were well-stocked.
A spokesperson also pointed out that, last year, around 90% of the crude oil refined in the UK was imported, and only around 1% of that imported crude came from the Middle East.
Most is sourced from countries such as the United States, and Norway, supplemented by smaller volumes from other producers. The AA and others have been keen to stress that drivers should fill up as normal.
