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ust 127 of the 300 visas for tanker drivers to come back to the UK instantly have been granted, Boris Johnson has mentioned, as he argued that offer chain issues are brought on “very largely by the energy of the financial restoration”.
The Prime Minister informed BBC Breakfast: “What we mentioned to the street haulage business was: ‘Positive, give us the names of the drivers that you just wish to herald and we are going to kind out the visas, you’ve received one other 5,000 visas.’
“They solely produced 127 names up to now.
“What that exhibits is the worldwide scarcity.”
Mr Johnson added: “The availability chain downside is brought on very largely by the energy of the financial restoration.
“What you will note is sensible logistic specialists in our grocery store chains, in our meals processing business, attending to grips with it, discovering the employees that they want. We are going to assist them in any manner that we will.
“However the scarcity is international.”
The Division for Transport later clarified that of the 127 visas issued, 27 have been for gas tanker drivers and the remaining 100 have been for meals hauliers.
The Prime Minister informed the BBC: “What you possibly can’t do is return to the previous, failed mannequin the place you mainline low-wage, low-skilled labour – fairly often very hard-working, courageous, great individuals – who are available, working in situations that frankly are fairly powerful, and we shouldn’t be going again to that.”
That had led to a scenario the place there was not funding within the business and “individuals needed to urinate in bushes” due to the shortage of services for drivers, he mentioned.
Mr Johnson has insisted Christmas can be higher than final 12 months’s coronavirus-blighted festive season, regardless of warnings about provide chain issues.
Nevertheless he has repeatedly refused to rule out shortages within the wider economic system within the run-up to Christmas.
In addition to an estimated shortfall of 100,000 HGV drivers, companies from meat producers to retailers have warned of empty cabinets if the shortages will not be addressed.
“Christmas this 12 months will probably be very significantly higher than final 12 months,” Mr Johnson informed the BBC.
“I believe we’ve very dependable provide chains on this nation.”
He added: “There are clearly points that we’ve to handle, there have been shortages in lorry drivers all over the world.
“There are shortages of lorry drivers in China in the meanwhile as a result of the world economic system is rising once more.”
Nevertheless the Street Haulage Affiliation (RHA) disagreed with Mr Johnson’s feedback over the Authorities asking for names of European lorry drivers they wish to work within the UK.
Rod McKenzie, managing director of coverage and public affairs on the RHA, informed the PA information company: “There isn’t a database of lorry drivers with names hooked up to them and wish to work in Britain that British lorry companies can faucet into and say: ‘We’ll have that one, that one, that one or that one.’ It doesn’t work like that, it doesn’t exist.
“The one manner it really works is the Authorities advertises that short-term visas can be found, Europeans give it some thought, resolve whether or not they wish to or don’t wish to, and act accordingly. And, clearly, solely 127 to this point have acted accordingly.”
Mr McKenzie added that whereas he had seen reviews that 27 drivers had utilized in comparison with Mr Johnson stating that 127 had utilized, he mentioned he didn’t know what number of had truly utilized because the affiliation was not aware about that data.
He added: “Why would you quit a well-paid job in Europe, to come back and drive a truck in Britain for a really quick time frame when it’s a must to get a six-month let on a flat and undergo all the effort, initially to be chucked out on Christmas Eve, however now, we’re informed, for a bit later?
“It’s not a pretty supply and, successfully, what Europeans have accomplished is type of vote with their ft on that.”
The Prime Minister’s feedback got here as common petrol costs rose 0.91p a litre in every week from 135.19p final week to 136.1p on Tuesday, and diesel 1.7p from 137.9p to 139.2p, based on new Authorities figures.
It’s the highest stage for petrol because it price 136.9p in September 2013, and for diesel because it was 139.15p in October of the identical 12 months.
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