The First Minister will be aware of my long-standing campaign to lower petrol pump prices in my constituency. He will also know that, in 2022, the Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into road fuel prices and concluded that action was need to “improve competition” and, ultimately, to stop fuel retailers from ripping off drivers. An update from the CMA last week indicates that

“While fuel prices have fallen since July”,

drivers are still paying over the odds for fuel, and that has a knock-on effect on other living costs such as food. Will the First Minister therefore join me today in urging the new United Kingdom Labour Government to speed up progress on the CMA’s recommendations, so that weak competition can be addressed and fuel retailers held to account?

I am very much aware of the tenacious campaign that Stuart McMillan has led on the issue on behalf of his constituents. Fuel costs can make a significant contribution to the pressure that households and businesses wrestle with on an on-going basis. I welcome the UK Government’s plan to implement the CMA’s recommendations on the fuel price market, and I urge it is to speed up progress where possible. Given the CMA’s comments on current fuel prices, we urge the United Kingdom Government to use the CMA’s new fuel price monitoring function, which will commence in January next year, to scrutinise the market and take action where necessary to keep the prices that drivers pay at the lowest rate possible.