Rishi Sunak has pledged to “stand by” under-pressure households as he appeared to suggest that help could be coming in the form of a fuel duty cut.

Soaring petrol prices are one of a number of escalating financial demands the public is grappling with, along with rocketing energy bills, widespread inflation and an increase in national insurance contributions from next month.

The Chancellor is under pressure to introduce further measures to soften the blow on already stretched budgets, with reports suggesting he could slash fuel duty in his spring statement on Wednesday.

The Conservative Chancellor told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: “Obviously I can’t comment on specific things (that will be in the spring statement).

“But what I would say, I understand that… I have a rural constituency, people are incredibly reliant on their cars and this is one of the biggest bills that people face, watching it go up.

“We’re all seeing that, when we’re filling up our cars.

“I get that, that’s why we’ve frozen fuel duty already.”

With the UK Government having frozen fuel duty for 11 years in a row, Mr Sunak said he knows such action “really helps people”.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has called for more targeted help for those on low incomes.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday Show, he said: “This in many ways, has to be seen as an emergency – a cost-of-living crisis. Let’s not forget that we’ve effectively had austerity for 10 years.

“The Chancellor has got to put money in people’s pockets.”

Mr Blackford pointed to a decision by the Scottish Government to increase some devolved benefits by six percent and called on Mr Sunak to “meet that level of generosity”.

He added: “It’s those on benefits, it’s the lowest-paid that are going to feel the pinch the most.

“He should be investigating the £20 that was taken off Universal Credit. We need to remove that tax increase – which is a tax on jobs and investment.”

Mr Sunak, asked on the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme whether he is prepared to step in and keep offering aid on energy bills over a sustained period, said: “Of course I am, and people can judge me by my actions over the past two years.

“Without question, this is people’s number one priority – I get that, and I know how difficult it is when you are working hard and seeing the price of everything go up every day, every week.

“The steps we have taken to sanction Russia are not cost-free for us here at home, and I want to be honest with people that it is not going to be easy.

“I wish Government could solve absolutely every problem and that I could fully protect people against the challenges that lie ahead, but I can’t do that.

“But what I would say is that I will stand by them in the same way that I have done in the past couple of years.

“Where we can make a difference, of course we will.”

The Chancellor said he did not want the public to be “scared” about rising energy prices, saying it was “too early to speculate” on what might happen with the price cap in October.

Labour said it would vote for a fuel duty cut but argued that ministers should be considering more radical measures to guard against cost of living demands.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said a 5p cut in fuel duty would “only reduce filling up the car with petrol by £2”.

She told Sophy Ridge: “I don’t think that really rises to the scale of the challenge we face at the moment.”

The Treasury has already announced plans to offer financial support to the public through a £150 council tax rebate to some households and a repayable £200 saving on energy bills this year.

As part of its plan for easing the cost-of-living crisis, Labour is pushing for a windfall tax on the “big profits” being made by North Sea oil and gas companies.

Ms Reeves said, with prices increasing at such a fast rate this year, the party’s private sector surcharge policy would bring in £3.7 billion to help “keep bills lows” – £2.5 billion more than calculated in January.

She repeated the party’s opposition to drilling for more oil and gas in the North Sea, saying any benefit would be “years in the making”.

“I don’t think the answer to a fossil fuel crisis is more fossil fuels,” Ms Reeves told the Sunday Morning programme.

“There are better things Government could be doing, like ending the moratorium on onshore wind, like getting on with the investment in new nuclear.”