Downing Street has temporarily suspended competition laws as part of an effort to aide oil companies in targetting petrol stations that have run dry following days of panic buying.
With a shortage of HGV drivers causing “serious problems” at petrol stations, with more than half of UK non-motorway forecourts stating they were out of fuel, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng met with oil companies and retailers on Sunday to address a third day of queuing for pumps.
Kwarteng agreed to temporarily exempt the industry from the Competition Act 1998 to allow companies to communicate and optimise supply.
Westminster stated the measure would streamline the sharing of information across the industry in order to prioritise the delivery of fuel to parts of the UK that need it most urgently.
Kwarteng said: “We have long-standing contingency plans in place to work with industry so that fuel supplies can be maintained and deliveries can still be made in the event of a serious disruption.
“While there has always been and continues to be plenty of fuel at refineries and terminals, we are aware that there have been some issues with supply chains.
“This is why we will enact the Downstream Oil Protocol to ensure industry can share vital information and work together more effectively to ensure disruption is minimised.”
