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The Petrol Retailers Association called the meeting with ministers constructive, as ITV News Economics Editor Joel Hills reports
Chancellor Rachel Reeves told petrol retailers they had a “shared obligation” to keep prices down for motorists after the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said “inflammatory” comments from government ministers have caused retail staff to be abused by the public.
Earlier on Friday the PRA, which represents large and small independent petrol retailers across the UK, had criticised comments by ministers around “price gouging” and “ripping off” motorists.
In the Downing Street meeting on Friday, held with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and industry chiefs, Reeves said: “We have concerns around the high prices and we do have a shared obligation.”
Miliband told them: “We have said so clearly that we won’t tolerate unfair practices either here or anywhere else in the industry.
“It is our obligation as the government to ensure the consumers are treated fairly in this crisis.”
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The meeting was held in response to rising concern around the impact of the Middle East crisis on household finances.
Gordon Balmer, executive director of the PRA, described the meeting as “constructive” but added that no apology was given for the “inflammatory language”.
“The meeting went very well. We engaged in constructive discussion with the government on this and we are working collaboratively with them,” he said.
There were doubts as to whether the PRA would attend the meeting after it announced it had withdrawn because of ministers’ comments.
The group deleted several of posts on X, which had included the association saying it would not be attending the meeting, and then attended the meeting as planned.
Mr Balmer said earlier on Friday: “Recently I have heard of incidents from some of our members of retail staff being abused by members of the public, who may have been provoked by the incorrect and inflammatory language emanating from some commentators for example use of the terms ‘rip offs’ and ‘profiteering’.
“Our members are working hard in difficult circumstances making sure that motorists and businesses are getting the fuel they need, at prices that are very competitive, on razor thin or in some cases negative margins which means they are losing money. Our job is to serve the public keeping motorists and businesses on the road”.
“There is clearly still a lot of work to do to help politicians and commentators to understand how the fuel market works and our door is always open for constructive dialogue,” he said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X on Friday afternoon: “If fuel companies try to rip off customers, my government will step in.”
“Rachel Reeves and Ed Miliband are bringing the bosses of the fuel companies in today, to make sure that customers aren’t losing out because of the conflict in the Middle East.”
Earlier on Friday Rachel Reeves had said she “will not tolerate” firms exploiting uncertainty in the Middle East for excess financial gain, ahead of a meeting with energy bosses over “rip-off” fuel prices.
The government had already promised to intervene if companies engage in “unfair” practices that would hit customers facing a rise in the price of home heating oil, which is not covered by Ofgem’s energy price cap.
The war in the Middle East has seen oil prices spike, reaching $100 per barrel again on Thursday and threatening higher inflation in the UK and around the world.
It follows Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil from the Gulf.
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