Reporting based on newly published HMRC figures says the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is planning a fuel duty increase effective 1 January. The accounts describe the change as a single, immediate rise of 3 pence per litre rather than a more gradual adjustment. The reports frame the move as coming shortly after a previous decision to provide fuel duty relief, which they say was later reversed. According to the same coverage, critics argue that the relief “U-turn” was effectively a concession followed by a later increase, characterizing the overall approach as misleading. The articles do not provide additional detail beyond the claimed 3p per litre figure and the start date, and they focus primarily on political reaction to the policy sequence. At the same time, the reporting characterizes the relevant HMRC information as having been published quietly, and ties that publication to speculation about the size and timing of the January change. The net effect described across the coverage is that motorists face higher fuel duty from 1 January.