UK opens talks with US over threatened diesel export ban

• Healey says UK officials are discussing the threat with US authorities and making contingency provision.
• President Donald Trump said on Sunday, 27 September, that he was seriously considering a ban and “may do it”.
• UK diesel averaged 199.18p a litre on 28 September, above its previous record in June 2022.
• Government figures show the US supplied 35.5% of UK diesel imports in 2024; the Netherlands and Belgium together supplied 37%.

Healey told the BBC the UK was in talks with US authorities and preparing for a possible stoppage of diesel exports. He said the government was “making the provision that we may need to” and had stocks in the UK. In a separate interview with Sky News, he said Britain had “the stocks that we need” and that officials were talking with the US about trade and the wider situation in the Middle East.¹²

The threat has sharpened over the past week. Trump said on 22 September that he backed restricting diesel exports; on 27 September, he told a Fox News reporter the administration was considering a ban “very seriously” and “may do it”. The next day, a White House official told CBS News that Trump was evaluating options to lower fuel prices and that no policy decision had been made.³⁴⁵

Healey has not publicly confirmed that Britain formally asked for an exemption, or that Washington offered one. His comments establish ongoing talks and contingency planning, not an agreed outcome. The potential restriction’s scope, duration and start date also remain unsettled.

The exposure is real, though the figures need context. The government’s 2025 security-of-supply report says the US accounted for 35.5% of UK diesel imports in 2024, while the Netherlands and Belgium together accounted for 37%. UK refineries met 54.9% of road-diesel demand that year. A fuels-industry group puts the US share at 31% of diesel imports in 2025 and says about 55% of road diesel is imported; those are later figures from an industry body, using a different year.⁶⁷

Healey’s reference to stocks does not mean the government owns a separate diesel reserve. In a July parliamentary answer, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said emergency stocks are held by industry to meet the UK’s international obligations and can be made available during a supply disruption.⁸

The immediate pressure is already visible at the pumps. RAC figures reported by ITV put average UK diesel at 199.18p a litre on 28 September, just above the previous record of 199.09p in June 2022. The RAC linked the price rise to wider global supply pressures. The record was set before any US export ban was announced, so it cannot be attributed to one.⁹

Footnotes

1. BBC News, “UK tries to stop Trump's diesel export ban”. ↩

2. Sky News, Healey interview on diesel stocks and US talks. ↩

3. Axios, “Trump backs ban on diesel exports”. ↩

4. Bloomberg, “Trump Says He’s ‘Very Seriously’ Thinking of Diesel Export Ban”. ↩

5. CBS News, report on the possible export ban and White House response. ↩

6. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Statutory security of supply report: 2025. ↩

7. Fuels Industry UK, comment on diesel. ↩

8. UK Parliament, written answer on emergency petrol and diesel stocks, 15 July 2026. ↩

9. ITV News, “UK diesel prices hit all-time high”. ↩