UK warned to expect more empty shelves until Christmas

Boris Johnson goes out for a jog in the morning before the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester in the UK. Photo: Toby Melville/Reuters

Gavin Cordon

October 04 2021 02:30 AM

Boris Johnson has put the British public on notice to expect empty shelves in the run-up to Christmas as he claimed the economy was in a “period of transition” following Brexit.

On the opening day of the Tory Party conference in Manchester, the UK prime minister insisted the fuel crisis was finally “abating” after days of lengthy queues and filling stations running dry.

But he repeatedly refused to say whether the shortages across the wider economy – due to a lack of lorry drivers and other workers – would be resolved in time for the festive season.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Johnson admitted he had known for months about the crisis that was building in the haulage industry.

He was adamant, however, that he would not address the gaps in the labour market by pulling “the big lever marked uncontrolled immigration” to let in more foreign workers.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss insisted Mr Johnson could not be held to blame for empty shelves because he was not “responsible for what’s in the shops”.

Mr Johnson’s warning came as dozens of military drivers were due to hit the roads for first time today to keep filling stations supplied.

The prime minister has said it was simply a “precaution”, but the Petrol Retailers Association said there were still severe shortages in some parts of the country.

In his interview, Mr Johnson was pressed on a warning by Chancellor Rishi Sunak that problems in the global supply chain meant shortages could continue to Christmas.

The prime minister replied: “Rishi is invariably right in everything he says,” before adding hurriedly: “It depends how you interpret what he is saying.”