UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is remaining defiant as he faces a supply chain crisis in the lead up to the Christmas season. In an address to party faithful he said he has a bold plan for a post-COVID recovery. But labour shortages across the UK are bringing logistics to a standstill and leaving supermarket shelves empty. The army is to be deployed to shore up fuel supplies, after days of panic buying at the pumps.
Hauler David Zacchea points to all the trucks he's had to take off the road. He can't hire enough drivers to run them.
It's part of a wider supply chain crisis gripping the UK. The government says it will offer thousands of temporary visas so that foreign drivers can fill the gap. But business owners say it's like throwing a drop of water on a bonfire.
Driver's unions also say conditions on the job are so poor, it makes keeping staff difficult. Business is now concerned that logistics for the Christmas season will suffer. Poultry farmers are experiencing labor shortages as well, saying people's Christmas turkeys are under threat. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to promote a sense of calm, saying it was all part of the plan for post-Brexit Britain. But it's doing little to sooth nerves. Fears of shortages have led to panic buying at petrol stations. Many retailers say fuel levels are critically low.
This is primarily a Brexit problem. That is undeniable. - © Mark
Britain’s Christmas Lament: Meat Shortages and Delivery Delays: Military personnel are driving transport trucks. Pig farmers may start culling their stock. Even the government says shortages will affect Christmas, as Britons brace for a challenging winter. »
Bier, Speck, Medikamente: In Grossbritannien fehlt Alltägliches: Die Briten stöhnen, viele Produkte sind kaum noch erhältlich. Weil Zehntausende Lastwagenfahrer fehlen, kämpft die Wirtschaft mit logistischen Problemen. »
