Minister questioned on reported plans to increase fuel duty

Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael has pressed the Government on their reported plans for a fuel duty increase in next month’s budget.

In the House of Commons on Wednesday, Mr Carmichael spoke of the damaging effect a planned increase would have on rural and island communities like Orkney and Shetland.

According to Mr Carmichael, he asked the Scottish Secretary, David Mundell, to reveal the Government’s intentions but received an “evasive reply”.

Mr Carmichael said: “When Danny Alexander was chief secretary to the Treasury he went into bat for rural motorists at every budget and autumn statement. As a result, in five years the only duty increase was one that had been put in place by the previous Labour government. Every other planned increase was stopped and, in 2011, the rate of duty was actually cut.

“Now, just weeks into the new government, we are seeing a very different picture as the Tories are already placing stories in the press about planned duty increases.

“The Scotland Office make a submission to the Treasury before every budget. I hope that this time around their priority will be to tell George Osborne and his colleagues that businesses and local people will be hurt badly by increases of this sort.”