An open letter to the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, September 14, 2000:

Dear Tony,

I have met with a number of constituents who are concerned with the price of road fuel yesterday. Like everyone, I've been taking calls, talking to people, and observing the situation for the past few days.

In the media and in meetings I have expressed the view that while people are entitled to protest, the action has gone far enough and should end immediately before the incidents in this constituency of cancelled hospital appointments and inability to collect milk for dairy farms gets out of hand. Once the protests end, I think it is important for us to recognise the strength of feeling in the country about the issue -- even those who complained to me generally supported the campaign -- and look again at the impact of taxation on road-based industries and people, particularly those who live in rural areas.

I think that the scrapping of the previous Government's fuel duty escalator showed that this Government listens very carefully to the groups I have mentioned.

However, I also believe that when the protest ends we should listen to the views which are held by an enormous majority of people and try our best to do a little more to relieve some of the difficulties they are experiencing and to allow our road-based business to compete a little more effectively.

Hilton Dawson, MP for Lancaster and Wyre