UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has called on Britons to behave normally when buying petrol, stressing that there is no shortage of fuel. Speaking to Sky News, the official said the government is now working on addressing the shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers, which led to issues with fuel supply. Mr Shapps reiterated a comment he made earlier this week where he urged people to remain calm.
"So the most important thing is actually that people carry on as they normally would and fill up their cars when they normally would, then you won't have queues and you won't have shortages at the pump either", the minister said.
The statement comes a day after parts of the United Kingdom plunged into chaos after motorists rushed to petrol stations in a bid to stockpile fuel. This caused massive queues and road blockages.
Ironically, many UK netizens believe Mr Shapp’s statement calling on people to "carry on as normal" is to blame for creating the panic among the public, with users noting that there is a lack of trust in government.
Many users wrote that it is hard to remain calm and not stock up on petrol when one sees signs saying that stations have run out of fuel.
Bad Planning From Government
The problem with fuel supplies in the United Kingdom, caused by a shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers, has affected other industries, with local media saying that there was a disruption of food supplies that had affected supermarkets and fast food chains. The British Poultry Council has warned that it may not have enough workers to process as many turkeys as normal for Christmas.
The government quickly responded to the problem, and on Sunday the authorities decided to make a U-turn on its immigration policy, which had been tightened following Brexit, and issue temporary visas to foreign workers.
According to the BBC, up to 10,500 drivers may start working in the United Kingdom in the run-up to Christmas.
Mr Shapps said he didn’t want to "undercut" British workers, but stressed that he couldn’t "stand by and watch while queues are forming".
The move prompted a mixed response from industry. While the Food and Drink Federation and Logistics UK welcomed the decision, the British Chambers of Commerce described it as “throwing a thimble of water on a bonfire”. Marc Fels, director of the HGV Recruitment Centre, said the measure was “too little” and “too late”.
Labour opposition leader Keir Starmer said the government of Boris Johnson is to blame for the ongoing predicament.
The government quickly responded to the problem, and on Sunday the authorities decided to make a U-turn on its immigration policy, which had been tightened following Brexit, and issue temporary visas to foreign workers.
According to the BBC, up to 10,500 drivers may start working in the United Kingdom in the run-up to Christmas.
Mr Shapps said he didn’t want to "undercut" British workers, but stressed that he couldn’t "stand by and watch while queues are forming".
The move prompted a mixed response from industry. While the Food and Drink Federation and Logistics UK welcomed the decision, the British Chambers of Commerce described it as “throwing a thimble of water on a bonfire”. Marc Fels, director of the HGV Recruitment Centre, said the measure was “too little” and “too late”.
Labour opposition leader Keir Starmer said the government of Boris Johnson is to blame for the ongoing predicament.
"For a long time we have known there is a problem with HGV drivers that's been there for years but we knew in particular that when we exited the EU there would be a need for a back-up plan to deal with the situation and there has been no plan from the government", he said.
According to Logistics UK, the shortage of HGV drivers was the result of Brexit, delayed training and testing caused by the coronavirus pandemic, tax changes, ageing workforce, as well as low wages and poor working conditions.