Government accused of being ‘complacent and negligent’ over the shortage of lorry drivers

The UK has been facing a huge shortage of lorry drivers as many supermarkets for months have been hit with supply issues.

Now the shortage of around 100,000 trained HGV drivers has hit the forecourts as thousands across the UK have closed as they have run dry.

Boris Johnson has announced that the government are to create 5,000 visas for foreign HGV drivers for three months to ease the pressure.

The Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been in contact with the road haulage industry the last year and has been warning over the shortage.

She said that Brexit is a contributing factor to the shortage of HGV drivers and to deny this “flies in the face of reality.”

The Shadow Chancellor said, “There are other problems as well, an ageing workforce, a problem with the pandemic, but when you cut off a supply of labour, which we did when we left the EU, then you are of course contributing to those problems,” she said.

“Absolutely we want to train up British workers to get the jobs that are available and there should be opportunities there for good jobs paying a wage that you can support a family on, but the government didn’t get a grip on the crisis.”

She added that the government “needs to get a grip” and resolve the issues for the public.

“The government, instead of denying the problem and blaming others, which is what Grant Shapps was doing at the weekend, they need to get a grip and sort out these problems,” Ms Reeves added.

“Because frankly it’s not fair and it’s not right that ordinary working people are queuing for hours on end to get petrol to go about their day-to-day business.”