UUP's Miller welcomes fuel duty boost for farmers
Mr Glen Miller, the East Londonderry Ulster Unionist Association Secretary, has “warmly welcomed” the Government’s announcement of a continued freeze on fuel duty, the reduction on duty for red diesel, and the reduction of HGV road tax to one pound stating that it “was a tremendous boost to Northern Ireland’s hard-pressed agricultural community”.
In a major statement on behalf of the UUP association, Mr Miller also issued a stern message to the Government: “Drivers fully deserved to get these breaks, but now prove you have the backbone that keeps them supplied.
“The Government’s decision to extend the 5p‑per‑litre fuel duty cut through year‑end is welcome and long overdue. With prices whipsawed by conflict in the Middle East, a freeze that holds duty at a 16‑year low will ease the squeeze on millions who rely on their cars for work, care, and daily life.
“By the ministers’ own maths, the average driver will be about £120 better off by December. This is money that goes to rent, food, and heating instead of disappearing at the forecourt.
“Credit, too, where it is due: cutting the rebated duty on red diesel for the rest of the year offers real relief to those who keep our fields productive and key industries moving.
“Farmers, rail freight, and other legitimate off‑road users have been paying far more than before the crisis; the lower rate recognises that reality.
“But clarity and enforcement must be tight. Honest operators should see the benefit first, not lose out to the tiny minority willing to flout the rules. Yet this package carries a blind spot. If we are serious about living standards and growth, support cannot stop at the car park or the farm gate. It must reach the cab of the lorry.
“Hauliers are the connective tissue of the economy. Almost everything on a British till receipt has spent time on a truck. When diesel climbs, those costs ripple through every supply chain and land back with households.
“The Government concedes the pressure: a 12‑month road‑tax holiday - £1 at renewal - worth roughly £600 for a typical HGV and up to £912 for the biggest lorries. Helpful, yes. But fuel is the dominant line item for operators, and a paperwork holiday doesn’t fill a diesel tank.
“If ministers can freeze duty to help motorists and cut red diesel to bolster farms and industry, they can also craft targeted, time‑limited relief for the freight that stitches the country together.
“Three tests would show they mean it: Firstly, target the diesel, not just the admin: A temporary, auditable per‑litre rebate or duty relief for commercial road diesel, scaled to mileage or fleet size, would cushion small and mid‑sized firms that lack big‑buyer leverage.
“Secondly, put a clear sunset on it and review against pump prices and inflation. Get cash moving now: Expand time‑to‑pay, accelerate VAT refunds on fuel, and lift capital allowances for cleaner, more efficient HGVs. That helps operators manage today’s costs while investing to cut tomorrow’s.
“Thirdly, offer priceable certainty: Publish a review timetable for duty and freight‑cost policy. Contracting on guesswork bakes in a risk premium to every delivery. This is only a stealth tax on consumers. This is not special pleading. It is basic economic hygiene.
“When haulage buckles, shelves thin, projects stall, and prices rise. When it holds, inflation eases and growth travels further, faster. The Government is right to shield drivers at the pump and right to lighten the load on farmers and other red‑diesel users.
“Now it should finish the job and extend meaningful, temporary fuel support to the haulage industry, the people who deliver our recovery mile after mile. Otherwise, today’s relief at the pumps may be paid back tomorrow at the checkout,” emphasised Mr Miller.