Fuel shortages UK live: Key workers ‘must get petrol priority’
‘I’m only queuing because everybody else is’, says motorist amidst fuel panic buying
The lorry driver shortage in the UK is a consequence of Brexit and low wages, according to the man set to replace Angela Merkel as German chancellor.
Olaf Scholz, leader of the SDP, said the free movement of labour was an EU benefit that the UK had chosen to leave behind.
“We worked very hard to convince the British not to leave the union. Now they decided different and I hope they will manage the problems coming from that,” he said.
Many petrol stations around the UK remain dry and unions have called on the government to use emergency powers to give key workers priority for fuel.
The British Medical Association warned that as pumps run dry “there is a real risk that NHS staff won’t be able to do their jobs”. The Royal College of Nursing and the Unison and GMB unions also called for priority.
Meanwhile, Edwin Atema, leader of the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions has said that EU drivers will not be returning to help the UK “get out of the s***”.
He said the 10,000 short-term visas that the British government was considering would not be enough to tempt drivers.
Jerry can sales up seventeenfold over weekend – Halfords
Halfords recorded a seventeenfold rise in the number of jerry cans sold over the weekend compared with the same period a week earlier.
The containers were the fourth most often searched for item on the motoring and cycling retailers website.
Liam James27 September 2021 15:37
GMB joins calls for key worker fuel priority
The GMB union has also called for key workers to be granted fuel priority.
The Rachel Harrison, GMB National Officer, said: “Staggering incompetence has left our emergency services without the basics they need to save lives.
“In times of crisis we must prioritise our frontline workers.
“During this completely avoidable crisis, petrol must be prioritised for those key workers who save lives and keep the country moving.”
Liam James27 September 2021 15:26
Nurses call for key worker fuel priority
The Royal College of Nursing has joined unions in calling for key workers to be granted fuel priority.
Patricia Marquis, director for England at the RCN, said: “We already know some nursing staff are warning their employers they may not be able to attend tomorrow to ensure shifts can be safely staffed.
“In light of these supply problems, health and care workers need to be a priority or patient care will be compromised.”
Liam James27 September 2021 15:18
How and when will UK’s fuel crisis end?
Matt Mathers considers what needs to happen to get the petrol back in the pumps:
Liam James27 September 2021 15:04
How does petrol price rise compare with earlier years?
Petrol prices have gone up nearly 20 pence since the beginning of the year. The UK average rose from 116.46p on 1 January to 135.87p on Sunday, the highest price in 8 years.
In 2020, prices plunged at the onset of the pandemic. But in 2019 they went up just 7p in the whole year.
In 2018, prices were not even a penny by the end of the year, but that was after a slump as the global oil supply rose. From…
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