Harriet Cross MP has written to the Competition and Markets Authority calling for an investigation into heating oil suppliers who are “blatantly profiteering” from the Iran War by doubling their prices.
The Gordon and Buchan MP has also written to Labour’s energy secretary, Ed Miliband, calling on the UK Government to help households who cannot afford the sudden price hikes.
It’s estimated that 45% of homes in Aberdeenshire, including Gordon and Buchan, are off-grid, and rely on heating oils or LPG.
Ms Cross has been contacted by several rural residents who have been hit with price increases, rising from £500 for 700 litres of heating oil in January, to more than £1,000 since the start of the Iran War, with lengthy delivery times.
She has now demanded that the UK Government intervenes to prevent households from being the victims of price-gouging.
The Aberdeenshire MP has also called for a mandatory price transparency scheme to be rolled out for domestic fuel providers, ensuring that pricing is publicly available to help consumers see the cheapest options.
A co-letter sent to the Competition and Markets Authority, signed by Gordon and Buchan MP Harriet Cross, said: “I have been contacted by constituents who have experienced behaviour from suppliers that can only be described as blatant profiteering.
“Families have had existing delivery bookings cancelled, only to be called back the same day and offered delivery of the same oil, to the same address, on the same day, at twice the original price.
“These households are disproportionately rural, often elderly and vulnerable, and I believe there is evidence of long-standing consumer harm which warrants a CMA investigation under Section 131 of the Enterprise Act 2002.”
In a separate letter to Labour energy secretary, Ed Miliband, Ms Cross said: “Approximately 45% of properties in Aberdeenshire are off-grid. Around 25% of households are in fuel poverty.
“These households are predominantly in rural communities with no viable alternative to oil or LPG for heating and cooking.
“Homes heated by fuels such as heating oils or LPG are not protected by the Energy Price Guarantee in the same way households connected to mains gas and electricity.
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“As a result, many households within my constituency face home fuel costs that are unregulated and rise far more quickly than other energy sources.
“I have received emails from some of my constituents reporting the price of their heating oil orders having increased from £500 for 700 litres in January 2026, to a quoted price now in excess of £1,000, now with earliest available delivery being March 23.”
She added: “Will the UK Government contact the Chief Executive of the Competition and Market Authority to request an investigation into the pricing transparency within the heating oil and LPG market, to facilitate an open and fair competition?”
