LONDON (Reuters) - Hundreds of truck drivers caused road chaos in
central London on Tuesday in a protest to demand government help over
rising fuel prices.
Labour Party MPs also put pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to
rethink planned fuel and road tax increases, prompting ministers to hint
at a possible about-turn.
Truckers from across Britain converged on the capital in convoy,
closing a busy artery and causing traffic backlogs. Similar protests
took place in Wales, in a new headache for Brown whose leadership is
under fire.
The drivers said fuel bills had risen by almost half in a year and
demanded a rebate. French truckers threatened similar action.
Ministers, anxious after voters punished Labour in recent local
elections, said they were listening to concerns.
There was no sign Brown would give in to the truck drivers but
ministers said they would keep an "open mind" on a planned hike in
vehicle excise duty that will hit families squeezed by rising fuel and
food costs.
"We've made it clear we'll go ahead with the announcement we've made
but we've also made it clear, and this is not contradictory, that we
have an open mind in the future," environment minister Phil Woolas told
BBC Television.
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