Government allegations that filling stations may have pocketed chancellor Rishi Sunak’s 5p per litre fuel duty cut instead of passing it on to drivers, have been rebutted by an official report from the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA).

“On the whole the fuel duty cut appears to have been implemented, with the largest fuel retailers doing so immediately and others more gradually,” the report says “The main drivers of increased road fuel prices are the rising cost of crude oil, and a growing gap between the crude oil price and the wholesale price of petrol and diesel.”

“As each day goes by and the cost-of-living crisis is felt ever more keenly, the need for retailers – especially the largest ones – to reflect wholesale prices fairly becomes ever more urgent,” says RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams. “We urge the Government to ensure it’s in a position to scrutinise the relationship between wholesale and retail prices. And where issues are found, it must be able to take action that quickly leads to fairer prices.”