Quentin Willson's FairFuelUK Blog


Quentin Willson is one of Britain’s best-known motoring authorities. He spent over a decade presenting BBC's Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and was largely responsible for bringing the once scandalously high prices of new cars in the UK down to the same level as the rest of Europe. He is the lead spokesmen for FairFuelUK and works closely with the team behind the fight for lower fuel prices called Peter Carroll Associates  

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Thursday, October 27, 2011


PrintTO THE PM "GIVE THE PEOPLE THE DEBATE ON FUEL DUTY AS PROMISED" - FAIRFUELUK


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The FairFuelUK team has to report some shocking news. 

 
Parliament and the Government seem reluctant to commit to a date for a debate on cheaper petrol & dieselThis is despite our achieving the required 100,000 signatures on the ePetition and despite the best efforts of Robert Halfon MP who champions our cause in the Commons.  The formal decision to allocate the Parliamentary time rests with the Back Bench Business Committee of the House of Commons.  After two meetings of this committee, we appear to be no nearer to securing our debate on this vital issue.  The Chair of the committee has advised that the Government has not given enough time slots to the Committee.

 

We believe that this situation is outrageous and unacceptable
 
The hard-pressed families and businesses of the UK that have supported this campaign in their tens of thousands are understandably not too interested in the finer points of who decides what about this debate be it in the Government or the Back Bench Committee.  We feel that between them, the Government and Parliament should come together to do the right thing in this situation –
  
Give the people the debate on fuel duty AS PROMISED.

 

We know that you have all done so much to support this campaign.  We know that many of you have been driven to financial hardship and even ruin by the scandalously high cost of petrol & diesel.  We are not giving up on this fight to help you.

 

To that end, we are asking you to do two things:

 

  1. Please follow the link to the Number 10 Web site and send an email to the Prime Minister.  We have suggested a form of words below * that you might like to follow.  We imagine that this turn of events will have made many of our supporters very angry indeed.  However, we are urging everyone to keep their emails and letters firm but civil.  We feel that we have no option now but to make the Prime Minister aware that failing to debate this issue will lead to the perception that he, his Government and our Parliament are not responding to the petrol & diesel price issue for what it is – a national crisis.  Here is the link…..suggested wording follows.  However, please feel free to use your own wording.  https://email.number10.gov.uk/Contact.aspx

 

  1. When you have sent the email as in point 1 above, please just write it out, put it in an envelope and post it to Rt Hon David Cameron MP   Prime Minister  10 Downing Street LONDON SW1A 2AA

 

In the coming days, we will be asking you to email your own MPs to back up our call for this debate.  Together, we can make this happen…….

 

 

Kind regards
 
Peter Carroll and the FairFuelUK Campaign Team.    A form of words to send to the Prime Minister
Dear Prime Minister
 
I am one of the more than 100,000 citizens who signed the FairFuelUK Government epetition on the issue of high fuel duty. I am shocked and disappointed to hear that there appears to be some difficulty in actually securing a date for the debate. It appears that the Back Bench Business Committee are saying that they do not have sufficient time allocated to debate this vital matter. The high price of petrol and diesel is driving people and businesses to ruin. I find it astonishing that time cannot be found to debate this subject which is of immense concern to millions of families and businesses and if resolved could reverse the stagnating economy and achieve real growth plus improve the sagging public morale.
 
I suggest that failure to rectify this situation will completely undermine the new epetition scheme and lead to a feeling that your Government and Parliament are not truly responding to the issues that are at the top of people's priorities.
 
I respectfully ask that you intervene personally, bang heads together and let the people have their debate on this vital issue,
 

Kind regards,

 

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Sunday, July 3, 2011


PrintTHE IMPACT ON POLICE AND NURSES


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 Robert Halfon Photo of Robert Halfon(Harlow, Conservative) : Following my question to the Prime Minister yesterday, may we have an urgent debate on petrol prices and how they are hitting public services? Last year, the police spent £78 million on motoring fuel and it could hit £90 million this year—money that could have been spent on policing. The Royal College of Nursing says that 60,000 nurses now subsidise NHS petrol bills out of their own pockets. Does my right hon. Friend agree that high petrol prices are becoming a real threat to front-line services?

  

George Young Photo of George Young(Leader of the House of Commons, House of Commons; North West Hampshire, Conservative)

My hon. Friend is right. Our petrol prices have begun to come down over recent weeks, and we all hope that that initiative can be sustained. The coalition Government have taken action to help. As he knows, average pump prices are approximately 6p a litre lower than they would have been if we had continued with the previous Government's escalator.


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Thursday, June 30, 2011


PrintFAIRFUELUK ON PRIME MINISTERS QUESTIONS


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Harlow MP Robert Halfon pressed the Prime Minister on the urgent need to make sure that Oil companies pass on reductions in the price of Oil to British drivers and hauliers during Prime Ministers questions on Wednesday 29th June. He also took the opportunity to ask the Prime Minister to further delay and scrap the inflationary rise in fuel duty planned for January 2012. This rise could add another 3p per litre to the cost of fuel.
 
With the House packed, Mr Halfon asked, ‘Given the high cost of petrol, which is crucifying motorists in Harlow and across the country, will my Honourable Friend support the FairFuelUK campaign, to urge oil companies to reduce petrol prices at the pump in line with market prices, and review the 3 pence increase next January?'
 
Only a few weeks ago, Mr Halfon was instrumental in securing a debate in the Commons on the issue of how high petrol and diesel prices were hurting motorists, hauliers and UK business in general.
 
Quentin Willson, leader of the FairFuelUK campaign welcomed the Parliamentary support demonstrated by Mr Halfon's question saying, ‘Finally the government supports FairFuelUK. They're admitting that high fuel prices have become a national and social issue. But let's not let them blame the big oil companies for everything. We know who takes the lion share out of every litre!'
 
Geoff Dunning of the Road Haulage Association said, ‘The fact that the Prime Minister was confronted by this question today is proof that the FairFuelUK campaign is having a real impact. The UK economy and the road hauliers that support it desperately need fuel prices that are affordable and stable, so we will be keeping up the fight to get the planned fuel duty rise in January 2012 scrapped'.
 
Theo de Pencier of the Freight Transport Association said, ‘The FTA is delighted that this issue has been raised in Prime Minister's Questions and that the FairFuelUK Campaign is being recognised as a credible voice in this critical issue. The Prime Minister's assurance that the government will do everything in its power to bring down the price of fuel is a good start and we look forward to working with government to see this aim realised.'
 
The FairFuelUK campaign is supported by the RAC and the two bodies that represent the UK road freight industry, the RHA and the FTA. Between them the RHA and FTA have over 20,000 members. The campaign also enjoys the support of over 168,000 members of the public.
 

Peter Carroll, organiser of the FairFuelUK campaign said, ‘FairFuelUK is taking the fuel battle to where it matters – right into the heart of the Government. Everyone involved with the FairFuelUK campaign really appreciates the help and support of Mr Halfon and the other MPs that have declared their support'.


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Friday, May 6, 2011


PrintURGENT MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER


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"Dear Prime Minister,
 
I write to you again as spokesman for the FairFuelUK campaign to counsel caution over the rising prices of petrol and diesel. The token duty cut in the Budget offered no solace whatsoever to consumers and pump prices continue to soar. The issue of how working families can fund their everyday mobility is still a major social concern that could easily spiral out of control. We hear that direct action is being planned by groups less equitable than ours and there's gloomy talk of blockading refineries and social unrest. To allow this disaffection to spill out onto the streets would be both remiss and regrettable and benefit nobody. It could be a disaster.
 
The punitive level of UK fuel duty is affecting inflation, growth, confidence, discretionary spending and threatening the bedrock of our economic recovery. You must now begin an open dialogue to manage and control this socially corrosive problem. The irresistible forces of oil future speculation, unrest in the Middle East and demand from emerging economies, means that oil will never be cheap again. Left unchecked these forces could take the UK to a very dark place.
 
As a matter of urgency, on behalf of 155,000 supporters (increasing 1000 per day), 25,000 freight haulage businesses and nearly 3 million visitors to our Facebook page, we respectfully ask for a constructive meeting at your earliest convenience to discuss resolving this issue before it becomes overwhelming.
 

Yours anxiously,
Quentin Willson
FairFuelUK Campaign Leader"


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You are welcome to add your comments to My FairFuelUK Blog, but please do not include defamatory, insulting or abusive language about politicians, people who run the campaign including swear words on any posted subject. This is a forum to share your views and feelings. Please observe these rules otherwise your IP address will be blocked and your comments removed. Your comments are read by many influential people in the media and politics so please be constructive about these issues. We are fighting for lower fuel prices. Quentin Willson


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FairFuelUK is the national campaign fighting for lower petrol and diesel prices and is actively supported by:

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The FairFuelUK Campaign won the Chartered institute for Public Relations Public Affairs Excellence Award 2012 - Managed by Peter Carroll Associates email: campaign@fairfueluk.com
Peter Carroll (founder) 07866 800755, Lynne Beaumont (co-founder) 07885 940945 , Howard Cox (co-founder & communications) 07515 421611

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