Faced with gasoline and trucker shortages, UK relaxes immigration rules

Vehicles line up at a petrol station on September 24, 2021 in Harpenden.

REUTERS - PETER CZIBORRA

Text by: Marie Boëda

3 min

Shortage of truck drivers, panic in service stations… British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on the evening of Saturday September 25 that measures would be taken to relax immigration rules.

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From our correspondent in London,

Five thousand visas will be issued to foreign drivers for three months.

A response in particular to the food industry which fears shortages for Christmas.

The representatives of the traders had given the government ten days to react.

Otherwise the holiday season will not take place as planned.

It would be the second year in a row.

To ensure that it runs smoothly, the program has also been extended to 5,500 workers in the poultry sector.

One of the largest turkey farmers in the country had warned on Saturday, September 25 that he did not know if all the English could buy their Christmas turkey because, in particular, of the lack of drivers.

But to show that all this is only temporary and that the problem will be solved in the long term without the foreign workforce, we learned on Saturday also that Boris Johnson is putting pressure on the bosses of the sector so that they increase the wages of road hauliers.

Four thousand additional people will benefit from heavy truck driver training.

And finally, the ministers called on 40,000 retirees holding this permit to return to work. 

Panic scenes at gas stations

The government therefore reacted quickly.

It must be said that for two days we have seen traffic jams in gas stations.

Several fuel brands are

experiencing supply difficulties

, which creates scenes of panic.

And yet, representatives of gas stations try to reassure: there is enough fuel to meet normal demand.

Except that for two days, the demand is much greater.

Motorists got scared.

They wanted to be sure they could go to work.

Others had long trips to make for the weekend and feared they would be stranded. 

Some brands have therefore taken radical measures.

One of the largest in the country, which has around 400 gas stations, said it now imposed a limit of 30 pounds per customer so much demand was out of control. 

And it doesn't stop at gasoline.

Some pharmacies are running out of drugs.

There are shortages in supermarkets, some shelves are empty.

Again, this risks creating panic buying. 

Covid-19 and Brexit

At the origin of all this, there is first and foremost the pandemic.

No examination of the driver's license for heavy goods vehicles could take place for several months.

Thousands of future drivers are waiting to be able to work. 

And during the lockdown, many foreigners returned to their countries.

Some do not want to come back because they have found work there and thus remain close to their families.

The British pound being much less advantageous for years, the United Kingdom has lost in attractiveness. 

For others, it is impossible to set foot on English soil.

And there, it is the Brexit which complicates things.

Since January, border controls have been very strict.

Even those who lived and worked in the UK before the pandemic sometimes found it difficult to cross the border. 

Finally, these new measures linked to the country's exit from the European Union are now preventing many European workers from settling in the territory. 

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See also: The economic recovery is causing the price of raw materials and energy to skyrocket

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