A Reform UK-organised “national fuel tax protest” in central London against a planned fuel duty rise failed to ignite as only a few dozen people showed up.
The demonstration - which was expected to be the nation’s biggest fuel protest in more than two decades - attracted only around 70 people to Whitehall, most of whom were press.
Against the backdrop of the Treasury building, deputy leader of Reform UK Richard Tice led the charge in place of party leader Nigel Farage, arriving in a “non-ULEZ compliant” London Black cab.
Other party figures including Robert Jenrick, Sarah Pochin, Laura Anne Jones, Alex Wilson and Laila Cunningham arrived in a Reform UK-clad double decker bus outside the Red Lion pub.
But those may have been the only vehicles involved in Monday’s protest - a far cry from the legion of farmers on tractors, lorry drivers, and vans that were expected to swarm the Westminster street in protest.
The campaigners who were in attendance joined Reform UK politicians to call on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to axe fuel duty and lower VAT.
Fuel duty, which has been frozen since 2011 in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is expected to rise between September 2026 and March 2027, despite surges in fuel prices caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Petrol prices currently stand at 157 pence per litre and have risen almost 25 pence since the beginning of the conflict in Iran - while diesel costs 189 pence, increasing by 49 pence.
The Treasury currently collects around 50 % in tax from each litre of purchased fuel, amassing approximately £35 billion each year.
Mr Tice called for an emergency cut on VAT on fuel by 50% for three months.
He said: “That will help alarm clock Britain, it’ll help growth in the economy, and also to give confidence by scrapping the fuel duty increase plan for September.
“Having a war on motorists is a war on growth. It’s a war against prosperity, and that’s what we’re seeing. That’s why so many people are leaving London.”
Reform’s candidate for the 2028 London mayoral election Laila Cunningham told The Standard: “We want to end the war on motorists because I think you should not be taxed, watched, monitored, punished every time you go about your day.”
She added: “People want more money in their pocket. They don’t want to be taxed every time they have to get into their car
“My mum’s elderly, she loves the independence of driving a car. She’s not going to get on a bike. She’s not going to take the Tube that’s on strike every three months.”
Her rival, London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, has made tackling polluted air in central London a priority, having created the world’s largest Ultra-low Emission Zone across the city.
When asked about Sir Sadiq, Cunningham accused him of creating a “two-tier London” divided into “those that can afford to drive and those that can’t.”
Joseph Afrane was one of Nigel Farage’s supporters who did show up. Formerly a Corbynite and an avid activist for the Labour party, Mr Afrane said he joined Reform UK two years ago in pursuit of “change”.
“We need the government to listen to the people”, he told the Standard.
Despite the poor turnout, Reform UK’s politicians remained hopeful about the prospect of success in the upcoming London local elections.
Cunningham, Tice, and MP for Runcorn and Helsby Sarah Pochin all expressed their confidence in a strong Reform UK turnout across the UK.
Ms Pochin said: “There’s a surge across the country of support for Reform, and the situation at the petrol pumps is just one example of why people are looking for an alternative to this Labour government.”
One such candidate standing for the London elections for Coulsdon ward in Croydon is Anna Hills.
Ms Hills said she had been a Tory supporter for 45 years, but “the state of the nation today” has turned her to Reform UK.
“I’m fed up with the war on motorists, ULEZ, 20mph zones, and LTNs,” she said.
She added that she was pro-immigration, but believed in a crackdown on illegal immigration: “There’s a limit to our services and our homes and we need to reserve those for British people.”
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has had a direct impact on fuel prices in the UK, given that the passageway is used to transport around a fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas.
A full reopening of the strait appears unlikely as the conflict in Iran rumbles on. Though the UK mainly relies on oil from the US and Norway, increased pressure on global supply chains has continued to spike costs.
