Following the UK government’s recent budget announcement, Tim Morris, Chief Executive of the UKMPG, said: “We welcome the emphasis on measures to level up prosperity across the UK in the budget. It is crucial that coastal communities around the UK benefit from these measures. Extra funding for transport infrastructure and digital connectivity, as well as a review of the rules of how infrastructure projects are assessed, are all very welcome. However, we are concerned about the announced changes to fuel duty. These increases risk inflicting a £120 million cost penalty on the UK’s main gateways for trade and would lead to virtually no environmental improvement for port regions. We’ll be meeting with the government to discuss measures that can have a better and more viable impact.