MILLIONS of motorists have had their hopes raised by the Chancellor that fuel duty will remain frozen at his autumn Budget.

John Healey is under pressure amid a living costs’ that kicks in from January.

John Healey, Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, smiles while leaving 10 Downing Street.Brits have urged Chancellor John Healey to keep the fuel duty freeze in place Credit: Glen Minikin A person's hand holding a green fuel pump handle at a petrol station.Motorists have been facing high pump prices amid the Middle East conflict Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

His intervention comes as he weighs up the for both households and giving business more breathing space amid the and rising pump prices.

was pushed on whether drivers and hauliers would be at the forefront of his mind when he takes the decision at the end of October.

When asked, he told The Sun: “Yes, and just as we, as a government, have done for the last two years, we’ve already said there’ll be no increase in fuel duty this year.

“I know the . I’m very aware of the Middle East, as many people are, and the way that that’s putting pressure on prices at the pumps, prices in the supermarket, just prices on stalls. So we take that into account.”

has successfully kept fuel duty frozen since 2011.

The Chancellor also has to decide on his intentions for the 5p temporary cut by the end of October. It was brought in by the Tories in 2022 amid the energy price shock.

The Iran war saw energy prices rocket with disruption through the vital trading route.

The Chancellor added: “I’m very conscious of The Sun’s championing of fuel duty, fuel prices, and this isn’t just a cost of living.

“This is a cost of business for many. When five million people are self-employed, for many of them, the the cost of living is also the cost of business, and fuels are the heart of that.”

He has received a letter from the Petrol Retailers Association to help motorists at the start of next year when personal finances are strained.

Mr Healey was speaking at the Chantry Brewery in his Rawmarsh and Conisbrough constituency, in South Yorkshire.

The new introduced a 20 per cent cut to business rates for pubs and music venues in his first few days in office.

He added that the move will help with the

It comes after figures showed conomy slowed to 0.4 per cent for April to June.

It was down from 0.6 per cent for the first three months of the year.

An upbeat Mr Healey said: “But you know, we can see businesses beginning to invest, beginning to grow, beginning to believe that there is hope, and that’s part of our mission in government.

“Now we want to drive some of that activity, that growth into every postcode.

“It’s things like this 20% cut in business rates for for pubs, clubs, for live music venues, the sort of places that make a town not just the place we live, but place we love.”