Diesel has hit a record price at British pumps, climbing to 199.18p a litre on Monday and surpassing the previous high set in 2022 in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The milestone comes as the Prime Minister prepares to lobby Donald Trump against a threatened American ban on diesel exports — a move ministers fear could push prices higher still and ultimately leave forecourts running dry.
Andy Burnham said he is raising the issue directly with the US president, telling LBC: “We do make that case, all of the time.”
Trump confirmed on Sunday that he is considering an all-out ban on diesel exports from the United States, telling Fox News: “We’re looking at it very seriously. We may do it.”
Why Britain is so exposed
The UK has grown heavily dependent on imported diesel. The country now imports around 55 per cent of its road diesel, and roughly a third of all diesel imports come from the United States — up from 18 per cent just a year earlier. Supplies previously sourced from the Gulf have increasingly been replaced by American imports.
Britain’s own refining capacity has shrunk dramatically. Nine UK refineries have been reduced to four since 2003, and the closures of Grangemouth in Scotland and Lindsey in Lincolnshire last year alone wiped out nearly a quarter of total domestic refining capacity.
The result: the UK holds just 42 days of diesel in reserve — the lowest level in the world behind only Australia, which has 31 days.
A senior government source said a US export ban would have an immediate impact on UK fuel prices and could eventually lead to shortages. “It is a serious concern and something we are monitoring very closely,” the source said. “At the moment we have a reliable source of supplies, but if we stopped getting diesel from the US that would no longer be the case.”
Key facts: the diesel crunch
Record price: 199.18p a litre on Monday — beating the 2022 record.
The threat: Trump is “very seriously” considering a total US diesel export ban.
UK dependence: about a third of diesel imports come from the US; 55% of road diesel is imported.
Reserves: just 42 days — the second-lowest in the world.
The lobbying: Burnham says he is making the case to Trump “all of the time”.
What it means for London drivers
London’s motorists are on the front line of any fuel crunch. The capital’s black cabs overwhelmingly run on diesel, as do the delivery vans that keep the city’s shops and restaurants stocked and the coaches that bring visitors in. A sustained price spike feeds straight into fares, delivery costs and ultimately the price of everything moved by road.
Bus operators would also feel the squeeze, raising questions about pressure on fares at a time when household budgets are already stretched. And for the thousands of Londoners who still drive older diesel cars, the record price is a painful reminder that the fuel they were once encouraged to buy keeps getting more expensive — with a planned fuel duty rise in January set to add more pain.
There is no need to panic-buy: supplies are currently described as reliable, and ministers stress they are monitoring the situation closely. But the combination of record prices, thin reserves and an unpredictable White House has put fuel security firmly back on the political agenda.
How we got here
2022: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sends diesel to a then-record price; Western sanctions cut off Russian supplies that Britain once relied on.
2025: Grangemouth and Lindsey refineries close, eliminating nearly a quarter of UK refining capacity in a single year.
Early September 2026: Trump floats a diesel export ban at the UN alongside Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky; ministers begin contingency planning.
28 September 2026: UK diesel hits 199.18p a litre — a new record — as Burnham confirms he is lobbying Trump against the ban.
What happens next
A White House official has said no final decision has been made, telling reporters that Trump “will make the decision that is best for the American people.” The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, has indicated the administration is working with American refiners on voluntary export curbs as an alternative to a government-imposed ban — an outcome London would vastly prefer.
Meanwhile the political row is intensifying. Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick has written to the US Treasury Secretary urging him to exempt Britain from any ban, while pressing the Chancellor to cancel January’s planned 5p fuel duty rise.
For now, the government’s message is watchful rather than alarming. But with reserves at 42 days and a third of imports potentially at risk, the coming weeks will test just how resilient Britain’s fuel supply really is — and London’s drivers will feel every penny of it first.
The fuel crisis lands as the economy faces other headwinds, from the Heathrow expansion slipping to 2039 to ongoing roadworks disrupting routes across the capital.
