Donald Trump claims diesel export ban ‘never on table’ as diesel cost hits £2 record

Donald Trump claims diesel export ban ‘never on table’ as diesel cost hits £2 record The G7 nations, including the UK, have agreed to release 100 million barrels of fuel and oil from emergency stocks after the US threatened to impose a Trump diesel ban on exports, helping ease the fuel crisis Donald Trump has claimed a diesel export ban was "never really on the table" after the UK and other leading G7 nations buckled under White House pressure, agreeing to release 100 million barrels of fuel and oil from emergency reserves. The US president declared that Europe had done "a great thing" by tapping into their stockpiles under the threat of a block on American supplies. Such a ban would have left Britain scrambling alongside other nations to secure an alternative source, with heightened demand pushing the already record-breaking costs at the pumps even higher. Average UK diesel prices have exceeded £2 a litre for the first time. The UK imports nearly 55% of the diesel it uses, with the US accounting for around 31% of that. Mr Trump has faced growing pressure to slash fuel prices ahead of November's midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. Speaking as he departed the White House bound for Alabama on the campaign trail, the president insisted he would not impose a diesel export ban, suggesting it had never genuinely been considered, despite repeatedly indicating in recent weeks that the measure was under review. Mr Trump said: "Europe has a lot of diesel, and they're going to be making a major world contribution, and so are we. And we're not going to be doing the export ban. We're going to be doing what we're supposed to do... We are going to have a lot of oil." He stated: "We have a very good relationship with Europe, and they wanted to do it because they have a lot of diesel... I said 'it would be great if you put it out to the market'. They did it." When pushed on the threatened ban, he continued: "We were never going to do it. I don't think we were. Europe was great because they're putting a lot of diesel oil out there. They have diesel. They use diesel disproportionately more than most, and they did a great job." He further remarked: "Well, it (the ban) was never really on the table, but what Europe did was a great thing." Alongside reaching an agreement to release reserves in a bid to curb the soaring fuel prices driven by the Iran conflict, the G7 nations also pledged "to refrain from energy export restrictions". Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband deputised for Andy Burnham on Friday's leaders' call while the Prime Minister attended his father's funeral. He posted on X: "Today members have agreed co-ordinated measures to stabilise energy supplies, build resilience in supply chains and shield households and businesses from price shocks." The G7 statement confirmed that the release of reserves would commence immediately and continue for four months, with a "substantial" quantity of diesel becoming available within 20 days. Diesel prices have surged dramatically in recent months owing to the disruption to global supplies brought about by the US-Israeli war against Iran and the continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Rising fuel costs contributed to pushing inflation to a five-month peak in August, increasing the financial burden on households. With the Budget approaching, motoring groups have called on the Government to prolong the existing 5p reduction in fuel duty past the end of this year.