Two thirds of drivers would vote out Brown over fuel price rises

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Huge increases in petrol prices could lead motorists to vote the Government out, a poll suggested yesterday.

Two-thirds of the 18,500 AA members surveyed said they would vote for a different government should fuel prices rise to between 125p and 149p a litre.

Diesel prices are already past the 125p mark. The national average price of a litre of diesel stood at 131.7p yesterday, while unleaded petrol was 118.5p a litre.

Forty-nine per cent of those polled believed the Government was most responsible for the rise in fuel prices.

When asked who was benefiting most from the high prices, 55 per cent said the Government. Thirty per cent said the oil companies and only 13 per cent said the oil-producing countries.

A majority of those polled said their priority if they were transport minister would be to freeze fuel tax. A further 25 per cent would make public transport cheaper and only 8 per cent would penalise gas guzzlers.

Nineteen per cent would start active protests if prices rose to between 125p and 149p, but 36 per cent said they would never protest, nor would they vote for a different government, whatever the fuel price.

When asked to select the 'most motorist-friendly political party', 75 per cent opted for none of the main three parties or said they did not know.

AA president Edmund King said: 'These results suggest that motorists have little faith in politicians to deliver motoring-friendly policies.

'There is a vacuum on issues that affect the majority of voters including fuel prices, taxation and road maintenance. Whoever grabs the turf convincingly will gain advantage at the ballot box.'