Is Brexit the cause of our Shortage Crisis?
It’s safe to say that there are very few of us unaware of the recent shortage of goods hindering the UK. First starting with the shortage of Co2 late last month, this has been quickly followed by the fuel crisis and the hike in price for domestic gas to heat our homes. But why exactly has this happened?
Many of which, who voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum is, of course, blaming Brexit. It seems that the feud between the ‘brexiteers’ and ‘remoaners’ is going nowhere, with the government denying that these problems the country faces are because of Brexit.
Nevertheless, Britain would have been more exposed to gas shortages than its neighbours in Europe even without leaving the bloc. A policy decision made by the government has meant that the country holds much smaller reserves.
Much of the shortages in goods can be directly linked to a shortage of drivers delivering the goods to where they need to be. This, of course, can be linked to Brexit, but as the government insist, the shortage of HGV drivers is a problem across the continent. This problem, however, is especially acute in the UK, hit by both Brexit and Covid which led to plenty of EU-born drivers to‘go back home’. New immigration rules for EEA nationals now mean that it’s harder for companies to hire drivers across the continent and tougher for EU drivers to work in the UK.
UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has offered immediate visas for 300 foreign tanker drivers to work in the UK from now until the end of March, in a bid to tackle the fuel crisis. Reports from the BBC show that so far, 127 fuel drivers from overseas have applied for the temporary visa. On top of this, the government are offering a further 4,700 temporary visas for foreign food lorry drivers to try to avoid supply chain issues in other goods.
Trade industries have estimated that the UK currently has a shortage of around 90,000 HGV drivers, which according to a survey from the Road Haulage Association, has been caused by several factors that mainly point at the pandemic, Brexit and an ageing workforce.
The U-turn from the government makes it obvious that Brexit can be blamed for some of the shortage crisis, but is it fair to place all accountability on something that was democratically voted for? True to say that a better deal could have been negotiated, but after 4 years of negotiations, was the UK ever going to get any better without failing to meet the demands of the brexiteers?
Going forward, the government are urging firms to invest in a UK workforce, where Boris Johnson adds: “The UK economy could not go back to the failed model where you mainline low-wage, low-skilled labour.”
“It’s time for investing in people and skills”.
We often support businesses with sponsorship licences and employees with all types of work visas. If you are looking to employ staff from overseas, why not get in touch with us to see what options are available? For more information, visit Immigration Services or call 023 8023 4433 to get started.
Disclaimer: Information on this webpage is not intended for legal purposes or advice. If you require legal advice or services, you should seek a professional legal practitioner.
