Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke has demanded an immediate cap on heating oil prices, warning that rural families remain exposed to sudden increases as winter approaches.

The Liberal Democrat MP said Government plans to strengthen consumer protections would not address the price households pay to heat their homes. Heating oil customers are outside Ofgem's energy price cap, which covers eligible gas and electricity tariffs.

The Government published its response to a Competition and Markets Authority review on Tuesday, 13 October. It agreed in principle to introduce stronger regulation, alongside interim work on supplier codes of conduct, support for vulnerable customers and access to dispute resolution.

However, it explicitly ruled out simply replicating the gas and electricity price cap for heating oil at this stage. Ministers said their approach would focus on targeted financial help, monitoring prices and supplies, and improving consumer protections.

Dyke, the Liberal Democrats' rural affairs spokesperson, said:

"Liberal Democrats have been sounding the alarm on this for years, warning successive governments that households off the gas grid were being left out in the cold. While the Prime Minister has finally woken up to the desperate situation faced by millions of people in rural communities and acknowledged the heating oil rip-off, this is classic too little, too late.

"Tackling rogue suppliers is the bare minimum. It does nothing to help rural families who are already in fuel poverty and seeing their bills skyrocket through no fault of their own.

"Ministers cannot keep treating off-grid communities like an afterthought. The Liberal Democrats have fought relentlessly for fair treatment for heating oil customers - the Government must listen, stop dragging its feet, and urgently introduce a heating oil price cap before another winter of soaring bills unfolds on Labour's watch."

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Dyke has previously raised heating oil costs in Parliament. In March, she called for protection against sudden and unaffordable increases, later speaking in a Westminster Hall debate and backing a parliamentary motion seeking a mechanism similar to the energy price cap.

The Government's response offers a different assessment of the recent price rises. It said the competition watchdog found that increases largely reflected higher wholesale costs rather than suppliers making excessive profits, although there were significant gaps in consumer protection.

Ministers also pointed to more than £50 million in support announced in March for low-income households using heating oil. They said developing the longer-term regulatory framework would take time, with further work needed to protect customers without undermining competition or security of supply.

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