East End MP lobbies against fuel VAT rise

AN East End MP is lobbying the government to scrap its VAT rise on fuel.

Jim Fitzpatrick, Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, said the rise in the tax to 20 per cent has hit East End families hard.

Across London, the cost of a litre of unleaded petrol in February was �1.29 – up almost seven per cent compared to December, the AA fuel price report shows.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: “It’s time the Chancellor George Osborne took immediate action on fuel prices to ease the pressure on families who are already facing a tough year and their incomes squeezed.”

According to figures from the independent House of Commons library, the rise will net �700m for the Treasury.

Mr Fitzpatrick joins a hardcore of Labour MPs who want the tax reversed, arguing it comes at the wrong time.