MPs reject rural fuel duty cut

MPs have rejected a proposal to cut fuel tax in remote rural areas.

Liberal Democrat MP John Thurso urged MPs to agree to give a rebate to petrol stations in remote areas that would allow them to cut pump prices and ease the burden on rural communities that rely on cars.

The move was voted down by 305 to 67 in the face of Labour opposition and the Conservatives abstaining.

Mr Thurso's fellow Liberal Democrat, Ceredigion MP Mark Williams said his party has been calling for a rural fuel rebate for several years.

"The rise in fuel prices has made life tougher for people living in rural communities who have no alternatives to using their cars, so action must be taken to mitigate the effect of these rises," he said.

This amendment would have allowed for lower prices in those remote areas that are being hit particularly hard by these increased costs.

Emyr celebrates Grassland title

EMYR JONES, deputy president of the Farmers' Union of Wales, has been named this year's winner of the Grassland Farming Competition jointly run by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society and the Federation of Welsh Grassland Societies.