Rishi Sunak struggled to pay for a can of his much-loved Coca-Cola in a petrol station today – prompting a flood of bemused reactions on social media.
The chancellor, fresh from his spring statement, arranged a photoshoot after he announced fuel duty would be cut by 5p a litre in his Spring Statement yesterday.
The reduction will be implemented at 6pm on Wednesday and will last until March 2023.
Record pump prices
The RAC warned the measure might only be reflected in pump prices once retailers purchase new fuel at the lower rate, as duty is charged on wholesale purchases.
Asda was the first major retailer to confirm it will cut prices, with a 6p per litre reduction in petrol and diesel.
Motorists have been hit by record pump prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to an increase in the cost of oil due to supply fears.
Retailers were also accused of failing to pass on a reduction in wholesale costs earlier this month.
Figures from data firm Experian Catalist show the average cost of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts on Tuesday was 167.3p, while diesel was 179.7p.
This is an increase of 18.0p per litre for petrol and 27.0p for diesel over the past month.
Contactless
But it was an exchange at the till that got most people talking.
Sunak was filmed paying for a can of Coke, but struggled with the basic purchase as he confused scanning the item with paying for it on his contactless card.
Needless to say the reactions were quick to flood in.
Here’s what people had to say:
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