A cross-party group of senior MPs has written to government ministers, including environment secretary Michael Gove and transport secretary Chris Grayling, calling for the introduction of E10 fuel by the end of the year.

The letter is signed by Environment Select Committee chair Neil Parish MP, and All Party Parliamentary Group for British Bioethanol chair Nic Dakin MP. It is supported by a range of other Parliamentarians including shadow transport minister Karl Turner, SNP transport spokesman Alan Brown, former transport minister Robert Goodwill and former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott.

The Government consulted on introducing E10 in January last year, and in its response in September transport minister Jesse Norman indicated the Government favoured introducing E10, but no mechanism was proposed to carry this out.

Fuel producers have said they are capable of supplying the fuel but they will not do so without a mandate from the government.

The PRA has opposed its introduction warning it would impose additional costs on retailers.

Neil Parish commented: “Several Parliamentary committees have expressed frustration at the slow speed with which we are trying to tackle emissions from road transport while also reminding us of the need to keep carbon emissions reductions and air quality tightly bound together. Here we have a ready-and-waiting solution which is also of huge benefit to British farmers and it’s about time we got on with implementing it.”

Nic Dakin added: “The bioethanol industry is a major employer in the North of England, contributing over £1bn to the economy and supporting around 6,000 jobs. Major British companies chose to invest in this industry on the back of Government pledges which have not been seen through. We need to act on this if we want to see further investment in the renewables industry going forward.

“Tackling transport emissions immediately is vital for our environment and our public health, and E10 is one of the quickest, easiest and most cost-effective ways of doing this in the short-term. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation passed by Parliament in April allows the introduction of E10, and it’s vital that the Government shows leadership and mandates its introduction as soon as possible.”

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