Supermarkets: Voluntary Price Caps

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee Excerpts

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

The noble Lord asks me to reconsider an extreme idea that we are not considering, so I think we should be okay on that point. The times he talked about were very different. I do not think anyone would advocate for that now, and we certainly are not.

[Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, I very much welcome that the Minister has ruled out supermarket price fixing, because the people who would be pressurised by such fixing are the farmers and the producers. They are already under incredible pressure from the power of the supermarkets. I am concerned that this will gain some traction and that, even though it is not government policy, the supermarkets might take this up. Are there any plans to meet farmers’ representatives to discuss those issues?

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

The noble Baroness is absolutely right. The Government are aware of the challenges and the cumulative pressures facing food and drink manufacturers, and farmers in particular. I hope that she will welcome our announcement today on red diesel, for example, to support farmers who face substantially increased costs on fertiliser and fuel. The Government have announced that we will cut the duty rate on red diesel by over a third per litre, to the lowest rate for over 20 years.