Government contingency plans show emergency services, utilities and public transport would get priority access to petrol and diesel if Middle East crisis causes severe UK fuel shortage
Plans for petrol and diesel rationing are ready to be implemented by the government if the ongoing crisis in the Middle East continues to disrupt supplies and drive prices up.
This week, a Labour Treasury minister did not dismiss the possibility of petrol and diesel rationing due to the persistent conflict in Iran and supply issues on the Strait of Hormuz, which have already led to a surge in petrol prices and scenes of shortages at some petrol stations.
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.
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Fuel prices at the pumps have soared recently, with the RAC confirming that the average price of unleaded petrol is now 141.5p and diesel is 160.3p, both representing 18-month highs for fuel.
The National Emergency Plan for Fuel outlines who gets first access to fuel. It stipulates that emergency services and ‘critical service vehicles’ would be prioritised above all other drivers reports the Express.
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.
The document clarifies: “The majority of potential fuel supply disruptions can be addressed by measures to help industry maintain fuel supply; these would be deployed by DESNZ in co-ordination with industry and other government departments. However, the government does have emergency powers under the Energy Act 1976, which it can use to control supply and demand of petroleum products. It should be noted that use of these emergency powers is reserved for the most severe of disruptions.
“These measures would only be activated in the event of a severe national fuel supply shortage.”
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.”
Louisa James, Political Correspondent at ITV’s Good Morning Britain, warned on Tuesday morning: “There are experts warning that a severe shortage of oil and gas is now just weeks away. As you would expect the government has emergency plans in place which will be activated in the event of a severe disruption.
“Those are published online and they include things like petrol rationing, giving emergency services and public transport priority for fuel. Also reportedly a temporary 50mph speed limit to reduce demand for fuel. A government source told us that the UK has ‘a diverse and resilient’ supply of fuel, that petrol stations are well stocked, that imports are arriving.”
