British officials have clarified that the United Kingdom (UK) will not go back to the pre-Brexit policy of “uncontrolled immigration,” despite severe labour shortages resulting in supply chain disruptions across the country.
Over the last few weeks, the British government has been criticised for its inability to deal with the supply chain troubles that have resulted in shortages of essentials such as fuel, food, and poultry. Reports suggest that virtually the entire UK had less than 20% of its average stock in the last week of September.
In fact, several videos have emerged of long queues, panic buying, and violence at supermarkets. The crisis has been largely blamed on labour shortages, especially that of poultry farmers and drivers, following the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU), after which the immigration policy for EU workers was tightened.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, however, has defended the decision to leave the EU, saying, “The way forward for our country is not just to pull the big lever marked uncontrolled immigration, and allow in huge numbers of people to do work.” Referring to the pre-Brexit period, he stressed that the UK would not return to the “old failed model of low wages, low skills.”
Johnson further said the current crisis is merely indicative of a post-Brexit “period of adjustment.” While this statement has been criticised for not accepting the need to bring in foreign workers, it also represents Johnson’s first acknowledgement that at least part of the current crisis can be traced back to Brexit, a claim he has previously denied.
The British government has largely taken a defensive stand to absolve itself from blame for the ongoing situation. Previously, Foreign Minister Liz Truss said, “I don’t believe in a command and control economy, so I don’t believe the prime minister is responsible for what is in the shops. This is why we have a free enterprise economy.”
The government has taken several steps to mitigate the crisis, including a pledge to provide temporary visas for drivers and poultry workers. Through this scheme, the visas of around 5,000 foreign drivers’ visas that were to expire on December 24 have been extended until the end of February. On Friday, the government announced that over 300 foreign drivers would be able to come to the UK immediately. In addition, on Monday, the UK deployed around 200 military drivers to deal with fuel shortages in petrol stations that stem from panic buying.
Opposition leaders have criticised the Johnson government for its handling of the crisis and also raised concern about how these shortages could have a long-lasting impact.
Over the weekend, the supply chain crisis improved slightly. However, several regions continue to face severe shortages, with a majority of the areas having merely 20-40% of the average stock supplies.
No “Uncontrolled Immigration”, Says UK PM Johnson Amid Post-Brexit Labour Shortages
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that the UK will not go back to a policy of “uncontrolled immigration,” despite Brexit-induced labour shortages.
October 4, 2021
SOURCE: Hindustan Times