The Independent, on UK Politics, 27 October 2026

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SNP call for action as Burnham ‘asleep at the wheel’ as fuel prices rise

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Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been accused of being “asleep at the wheel” while motorists are having to pay increasing amounts to fill up with either petrol or diesel. The SNP has challenged the UK Government to scrap the VAT on fuel in Wednesday’s Budget – claiming such a move could save drivers more than £200 a year if it remained in place throughout the current fuel price crisis.

Demanding action, SNP Westminster energy spokesman Graham Leadbitter insisted: “The time for excuses is over. Andy Burnham must act now.” He spoke out as his party highlighted research from the House of Commons Library which showed that average petrol prices have risen from £1.50 per litre when Mr Burnham became Prime Minister in July to £1.75 per litre on October 19. Meanwhile the average cost of a litre of diesel has gone from £1.65 to £1.99 over the same period.

Mr Leadbitter claimed: “Andy Burnham has been asleep at the wheel as fuel prices soar in the UK. “The Prime Minister promised he would cut the cost of living but every major household bill has risen on his watch and many families are now thousands of pounds worse off. “He said he would be different but Andy Burnham is breaking his promises just like Keir Starmer. “The cost of living is getting even worse and the Labour Government is failing to act.” open image in gallery The plea from the SNP came ahead of Chancellor John Healey announcing his Budget on Wednesday. (Betty Laura Zapata/PA) The SNP MP added: “Removing VAT on fuel alone would put over £200 back into people’s pockets at a time when the cost of living is reaching crisis point in the UK.”

He went on to claim: “Scotland is an energy-rich country but we are being forced to pay some of the highest prices in Europe under Westminster control. “It shows why Scotland needs independence to lower bills and build a better future.”

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What we found (1)

The Independent reports the SNP's call for the UK Government to scrap VAT on fuel and attributes the SNP's claims to the party and its spokesman throughout. The only weakness is that the SNP fills the whole piece and the Government appears only as having been contacted, so the attack on Andy Burnham goes unanswered.

  1. One side gets the space

    Minor

    “The UK Government has been contacted for comment.”

    Why this matters
    The article closes with the line that the UK Government "has been contacted for comment". After thirteen sentences of SNP quotes and claims, this is all the Government gets.
    The impression it gives
    A reader hears only the SNP's case that Andy Burnham is "asleep at the wheel" and is "breaking his promises", and sees no response from the Government or the Treasury.
    The context
    The story is an attack on the Government's record on fuel prices and the coming Budget. No Government, Treasury or Labour voice appears, and no figure on what scrapping fuel VAT would cost is given. The SNP's claims stand alone.

    How we know

    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “Treasury”.
    • Elsewhere in the article“Andy Burnham has been asleep at the wheel as fuel prices soar”

    Show it in the article

What it gets right

  • “claiming such a move could save drivers more than £200 a year”

    The £200 saving is reported as the SNP's claim, not stated as fact in the outlet's voice.

  • “research from the House of Commons Library which showed that average petrol prices have risen from £1.50 per litre when Mr Burnham became Prime Minister in July to £1.75 per litre on October 19”

    The price figures are tied to a named source, with a clear start point, end date and base.

  • “He went on to claim”

    The SNP's claim about Scotland's energy prices and independence is attributed to the spokesman and not adopted in the outlet's voice.

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