Gordon Brown called on energy suppliers and petrol retailers to pass on the fall in the price of oil to consumers, as he sought to demonstrate the government's concerns over the economic pressures facing voters.

The prime ministerial exhortation follows dramatic decreases in the price of oil, from more than $145 a barrel last summer to less than $80 in trading yesterday. "I want these price cuts passed on to the consumer, and passed on as quickly as possible," said Mr Brown. "We are determined that, just as people act quickly to pass on the rise when the oil prices rises, they pass on the fall when the oil price falls."