Oil markets could enter a “red zone” by August, raising the risk of a “real, physical shortage” of fuel within weeks, the International Energy Agency’s executive director Fatih Birol has warned.
For now, Britain is not running out of fuel – at least, that is the official line.
Ministers say supplies are “diverse and resilient” and have urged drivers to carry on as normal despite the war in Iran pushing prices higher.
But behind the reassurance sits a detailed contingency plan spelling out how fuel could be rationed if supplies tightened, from limits at the pump to priority access for essential services.
So how real is the risk in the UK – and what would happen if supplies tighten?
