The Government seems to have started to try to avert the protests, but they have not actually committed themselves to taking any action on fuel taxes. Various protest group organisers seem to be willing to give them a bit more time, and also, in all probability, to give themselves more time to organise themselves, in case Gordon Brown does push through the Fuel Duty increase of nearly 2p a litre on unleaded petrol this September.
The BBC reports that
"Fuel protesters call off action"
"Fuel protesters have postponed action in several areas of the country following "positive dialogue" with the government. The Fuel Lobby, one of the main protest groups, says action planned it had for next Wednesday will not now go ahead.
The decision follows Gordon Brown's pledge to look again in August at the option of whether to raise fuel duty.
Tony Blair said no decision would be taken yet but ministers had to be sensitive to the needs of motorists.
He echoed the chancellor's promise to keep the planned fuel duty increase of 1.9p-a-litre in September "under review".
Mr Brown said the focus should be on persuading Opec to get world prices under control.
Opec has agreed to raise production by two million barrels a day.
Mr Brown called that a welcome first step but argued more could be done.
Opposition parties want the planned duty rise to be scrapped.
'Positive sign'
Martin Palmer, spokesman for the Low Tax on Fuel group, which is organising a protest in Cardiff said comments by Mr Brown and Mr Blair were "a step in the right direction" but not enough.
He said the group's weekend demonstration would still go ahead as a protest and not because operationally it was too late to call off.
But Andrew Spence, senior spokesman for the Fuel Lobby, said most other protests had been postponed.
"With Gordon Brown's remarks yesterday (Thursday), we feel it is a positive sign in the right direction," he said.
"We are being sensitive at the moment, especially when the government is making positive dialogue, so we are prepared to give Mr Brown the benefit of the doubt and see what his proposals are.
"We are planning to hold a number of meeting with government officials in the coming weeks to argue our case.
"The government is not wanting to seek protests and we are not wanting to carry out protests."
But Mr Spence warned: "This is only a postponement and if we do not get the continuation of positive dialogue, there will be no more warnings given."
Two week deadline
David Handley, chairman of Farmers for Action, said: "We met last night (Thursday) following Gordon Brown's announcement that he is reconsidering increasing duty in September and also the fact that with the move from Opec yesterday we certainly will not be taking further action for the next two to three weeks.
"Gordon Brown has clearly indicated he is going to look and go back and reinvestigate the increase.
"We feel we should give him two to three weeks - you can still protest in September."
The Road Haulage Association in Scotland said it will consider postponing a protest in Edinburgh following a meeting next Wednesday, but at the moment the "go slow" on 15 June will go ahead.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Tony Blair said the government understood the impact of oil price rises and world demand.
But he refused to put a figure on how high pump prices would have to increase before September's planned tax rise would be scrapped.
"I don't think we can pick an arbitrary figure - it's really just a question of looking at it in the round," he said.
Progress review
"I think it's sensible to keep it under review because obviously what's happened with oil prices and world demand and the worries of terrorism over Saudi Arabia.
"It has meant the world oil prices have gone up - that's not as a result of a government decision.
"But whether or not to put the usual rise in the fuel duty, the inflation rise, is a government decision."
On Thursday, Mr Brown said once he had seen the progress being made by Opec in raising production and getting the oil price under control he would review the situation in August.
He argued it would be "opportunistic" to move the focus away from "the source of the problem" - inadequate production of oil and instability in the Middle East.
He pledged to put the case for high production to oil ministers.
Matthew Taylor, for the Liberal Democrats, welcomed the government's review of the duty increase and said the protesters had been "sensible" in their decision to scale back demonstrations."
