Rising Cost of Living Fuels UK Traffic Protests

[ODUNEWS] July 5 – Drivers across the UK have staged go-slow protests on several major motorways and roads, bringing traffic to a near-standstill. Social media images appeared early on Monday of a convoy of vehicles heading towards the Severn Bridge linking England and Wales on the M4 motorway. 

 

Similar demonstrations were held on the M5 as well as the A12 in southeast England. They are calling for more help from the government amid record prices at the pump.

 

The British Treasury announced a 5p (6 cents) per liter reduction to its fuel levy back in March but that has since been more than offset by soaring inflation. Last week Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said he would consider a further reduction. Now drivers are continuing to press their case. 

 

Gas stations have been coming under pressure to drop their prices in recent weeks because the cost of the wholesale fuel they are purchasing has been falling. Many are reluctant to do so, however, saying they already operate on thin margins, made worse by the recent fall in the value of Britain’s pound against other major currencies.

 

Even if a little more help does come from the state, as it has in Germany, ministers claim this is a global problem and they cannot completely protect citizens from those rising costs. With fuel prices forecast to remain high for the foreseeable future, Monday’s protests in the UK may not be the last.

 

Fuel costs can often be a hot-button issue with the public: providing the spark that led to a groundswell of anger in France under the banner of the ‘Gillet Jaunes.’