Great Britain: Emergency at the pumps

Shortage of petrol as a result of Brexit? The British government does not want to hear about this interpretation. She blames panic buying for the shortage. Few Brits are convinced of their countermeasures.

Many petrol stations in the UK are currently unable to supply petrol or diesel, and some have already closed. Long queues form at other petrol stations, hindering traffic.

It’s frustrating, says a taxi driver, he just couldn’t drive without gas. Another taxi driver is also at a loss and asks what he should do now.

It should get worse

The state of emergency is taking on alarming features. According to the Petrol Retailers Association, which represents around 5,500 independent petrol stations, more than half of the petrol stations have run out of petrol or diesel. And association boss Brian Madderson expressed in the BBC the fear that the other gas stations would be sold out very soon.

The reason for the bottlenecks is a huge shortage of truck drivers. Because of the corona pandemic, a number of driving lessons and tests have been postponed. In addition, around 20,000 – mainly Eastern European specialists – emigrated because of the Brexit. New, strict immigration rules are hindering immigration.

Government criticizes panic buying

The government tries to appease. There is enough gasoline in the refineries and storage facilities, said Environment Minister George Eustice. He recommended buying only as much gasoline as you would normally fill up with. There are too few truck drivers, but that is “limited”: “The cause of these bottlenecks is the panic buying.”

The government announced over the weekend that it would issue work visas for up to 5,000 foreign truck drivers. The visas should only be valid until Christmas.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had long resisted visa exemptions because one of Brexit’s goals was to end free movement. The government hopes more Britons can be brought into work and wages rise too.

Are the measures enough?

Edwin Atema, truck driver and trade unionist from the Netherlands is skeptical that the measures taken by the Johnson government will work. He is calling for a collective agreement for the industry in Great Britain.

More must be done, demands Atema. The drivers he spoke to are unwilling to come to the UK for this short period of time and solve a problem that the British themselves caused.

Rules relaxed

Economics minister Kwasi Kwarteng yesterday overruled the competition rules. This enables the companies to agree on deliveries to the petrol stations and to cooperate. So the companies should be relieved.

Plans to use the army to supply the gas stations are apparently off the table. At the weekend there were indications that the government was considering using the military for logistical support.

The opposition sharply criticized the government. Labor fiscal spokeswoman Rachel Reeves said the government was incompetent and unwilling to acknowledge the problem.