Fuel tax rise could hit rural communities the hardest, Devon MP warns

Senior members of the Conservative party say planned fuel tax increases could hit rural areas hardest, warning of higher costs for households, farmers and businesses across the countryside.

South West Devon Conservative MP Rebecca Smith and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said rural communities are more exposed to rising fuel prices because of limited public transport and longer travel distances.

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They also warned that changes to duty on red diesel, fuel widely used in agriculture, could increase farming costs.

Smith said rural households are “significantly more reliant on cars due to limited public transport options, leaving them more exposed to rising fuel costs.”

According to figures cited by the Conservatives, duty on red diesel is expected to rise gradually to 11.14 pence per litre by March 2027, an increase of about 10 per cent from current levels.

Smith added: “Labour don’t get rural communities. If they did, they would never have introduced the hated Family Farm Tax.

“Now, just when the cost of fuel and other agricultural commodity prices are on the rise, they are set on pushing up taxes on red diesel. 

‘Farmers cannot afford to pay nearly ten per cent more tax on their fuel.”

Badenoch echoed the concerns, saying rural areas depend heavily on cars.

“Rural communities rely on their cars so it’s time to end the war on motorists,” she said.

Victoria Atkins, Shadow Environment Secretary, said rising costs could affect food production and prices.

“As food prices continue to rise for us all and with record numbers of farms closing, this government must stop piling more and more taxes on food producers,” she said.

“In these volatile times, we need our farmers growing food, not worrying about Labour’s record taxes.”

The Conservatives are calling on the government to scrap the planned fuel duty rise and have said they would reverse the so-called “Family Farm Tax” if returned to power.

The party also linked the issue to wider rural pressures, including higher heating oil costs and concerns about crime in countryside areas.

No response from the Labour government was included in the statement.

Fuel duty policy is set nationally, but campaigners say any changes can have a disproportionate impact in rural regions such as Devon and Dartmoor, where travel distances are longer and alternatives to driving are limited.