UK petrol shortages live: BP, Esso and Tesco stations closed, army could be recruited to command HGVs

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Grant Shapps says Brexit is ‘part of the solution’ to truck driver shortage

Grant Shapps said motorists should “carry on as usual”, after BP, Tesco and Esso warned of fuel shortages at some petrol stations as a result of heavy truck driver shortages.

The transport minister insisted he would “move heaven and earth” to ease the supply chain crisis and did not rule out deploying the military to the front fields or relaxing visa rules to ease the driver shortage, which the Road Transport Association said was 100,000 and was. Exacerbated by Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic, and wage and conditional problems.

Trade body chief Rod McKenzie accused ministers of “government by inertia”, allowing the situation to become “gradually worse” in recent months, while BP’s head of British retail, Hannah Hoover, said it was important for the government to understand “the urgency of Situation” .

Key PointsShow Last Updated 1632476769

While ministers and industry experts urged motorists to refuel as usual, and reassured the public that there was no shortage of gasoline itself, some front parks reportedly saw queues and panic buying this morning.

Motorists queue for petrol at Sainsbury’s service station in Tonbridge

(Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)

Andy Gregory Sep 24, 2021 10:46

1632475268 ‘complete rubbish’ that Brexit is part of the solution to truck driver shortage

Unite the Union has accused the transport minister of talking about “complete nonsense” in claiming that Brexit is part of the solution to the current shortage of truck drivers.

“Brexit means that the brewing crisis has begun and that its impact has been much stronger. It is meaningless to say that Brexit is part of the solution,” said EU spokesman Barclay Sumner.

“The only solution is to make truck driving a more attractive profession. When you have people who drive 10 hours a day, they drive away from home for up to 15 hours, we have thousands of drivers leaving the profession, the number of people who are not allowed to drive is doubled because of Medical conditions over a decade.

We need minimum standards of luxury and conditions. Supermarkets pushed this situation by cutting wages and conditions. Now they want temporary visas so they can return to cheap labor.”

He also said he believed the fuel supply problems would be temporary, adding: “Driving a tanker requires additional qualifications and is the best paid in the industry.”

Andy Gregory Sep 24, 2021 10:21

1632474461 Labor says government has ‘failed to heed warnings for a decade’

Labor’s shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon has described the situation as a “rapidly worsening crisis” in which “the government has failed to heed its warnings for a decade”.

He said, “Plastering will not solve it. Ministers must take decisive steps now to address the shortage of 90,000 drivers. If they fail to take action, the responsibility for every empty shelf, every vital medicine not delivered and every supplier unable to meet demand falls.” at the conservative door.

Andy Gregory Sep 24, 2021 10:07

1632473663

My colleague Adam Forrest has more details about the possibility of Army recruiting as truck drivers if the supply chain crisis worsens.

Andy Gregory Sep 24, 2021 09:54

1632473416 A sector working to ensure the majority of customers retain access to fuel, says industry body

The UK Petroleum Industry Association said the fuel supply chain is “resilient and the fuel currently reaches the vast majority of consumers”, adding: “The sector will continue to work to ensure this continues.”

A Trade Union spokesperson said: “There have been some confirmed reports of temporary front yard gradients in parts of the UK.”

This has resulted from some delays in the supply chain due to the shortage of transportation drivers, which is not limited to the downstream sector, but is seen throughout the economy. Industry and government will continue to work together to strengthen the workforce in the sector to ensure that fuels and other supply chains remain strong for years to come.”

Andy Gregory Sep 24, 2021 09:50

1632472978 Drawn Comparisons to the Fall 2000 Fuel Blockade

Gordon Brown’s Downing Street chancellor has suggested that the situation “looks like a tougher challenge” to officials than it did during the fall 2000 fuel embargo.

While today’s Labor government was able to focus on addressing the obvious cause of the unrest – protests in response to rising fuel costs and ministers’ refusal to rule out a fuel surcharge – the current crisis appears to be more complex.

Andy Gregory Sep 24, 2021 09:42

Coventry gas station owner reported a scared purchase case

“We’ve already seen panic buying this morning,” Paul Cheema, a gas station owner in Coventry’s Tile Hill area, told Good Morning Britain, after he ran out of unleaded fuel at 5:30 p.m. yesterday.

“We had to shut down the diesel aisle really because people went crazy, while really don’t panic to buy because there is a lot of fuel out there, we just need the drivers,” Chima said.

“Once the yellow cap goes on the openings, the customer goes right through. We also lose that income inside the store.”

Andy Gregory Sep 24, 2021 09:24

1632470856 Brexit ‘part of the solution’ to truck driver shortage, minister claims

Grant Shapps has denied that Brexit is part of the problem behind the shortage of truck drivers – arguing that Britain’s divorce from the European Union offered solutions to the crisis.

Grant Shapps says Brexit is ‘part of the solution’ to truck driver shortage

My colleague Adam Forrest has the full story here:

Andy Gregory Sep 24, 2021 09:07

What is the escalin process?

Ministers discussed putting soldiers on alert to drive oil tankers, in plans that will only be activated if the situation deteriorates significantly, The Times reported.

These contingency plans, known as Operation Escalin, were drawn up before Brexit, and the drafting of 1,600 soldiers to command 80 military fuel tankers was planned to keep fuel flowing to the front yard in the event of a no-deal, according to The Guardian.

Andy Gregory Sep 24, 2021 09:01

1632470072 The Minister does not rule out the introduction of military bases or reduced visa rules

Grant Shapps said he would move “Heaven and Earth” to fix the supply chain crisis — including considering bringing in the military and easing visa rules for heavy truck drivers.

“I will do anything that actually helps,” the transport minister told the BBC’s Today programme. “The big question actually is where is the blockage? What we do know is that there are a lot of people who have their HGV licenses but many of them are going to go out of the market, often because there is cheaper European labor. We want to get those people back in.”

“In terms of things like whether there’s a role for the military, obviously, if there is, if that really helps, we’re going to bring them in,” he added.

But Shapps said changing visa rules to allow foreign drivers in would not necessarily help solve the problem.

“What I don’t want to do, and I’ve been alluding to, is being undermined, as before, with the cheaper European drivers, and then I find our drivers dropping out,” he said.

Andy Gregory Sep 24, 2021 08:54

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