Both France and Germany have offered financial support in the past month to help drivers with the soaring cost of petrol.

Jake Berry, the Conservative MP for Rossendale and Darwen, said in the House of Commons: “With the cost of fuel now being an eye-watering £2 a litre in some areas, it’s led to a huge VAT windfall [from] the Treasury.

“When the Chancellor thinks about his Spring Statement coming up, will he not only look at cutting fuel duty, but also look at mileage recovery rates? They have been at 45p per mile for over a decade. Now is the time to put them up to 60 at least.”

Mr Sunak replied: “I’m grateful to [him] for his suggestions. Of course, I’ll bear them in mind. He’s right about the rising cost of fuel at the pumps, although I am pleased to see that over the last few days, the price of Brent has fallen by about 25 per cent, just illustrating the volatility of the situation [we’re] currently experiencing.”