The vice-premier wants to curb the shortage of truck drivers through the use of criminals.
(Photo: AP)
London In the fight against an acute shortage of truck drivers in Great Britain, Vice Prime Minister Dominic Raab has tabled an unusual proposal. “We have let prisoners and criminals work on a voluntary basis and unpaid,” said Raab – Justice Minister since the recent cabinet reshuffle – the “Spectator”. “Why not let them do paid work when there are bottlenecks, if it is of benefit to the economy and society?”
It is estimated that the UK is currently lacking more than 100,000 truck drivers. This creates major problems, especially at UK gas stations. Because not enough tank trucks were able to bring the fuel on the spot, countless filling stations have been left on the dry land in the past few days. Even supermarkets have already had shortages of some products.
According to the government in London, the massive bottlenecks at British petrol stations are now under control. “This crisis is now absolutely something that is under control,” said Finance Secretary of State Simon Clarke on Thursday.
According to eyewitnesses, there are still long lines around the capital. Many pumps are still out of order.
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After the British government called on the population not to panic buying, the situation worsened: there were long queues in front of those petrol stations that still had petrol and diesel in stock. Now the cabinet seems to have learned from its mistakes.
The BBC reported Thursday, citing internal documents, that the government had instructed local authorities not to use the words “panic” or “panic buying” in their public communications regarding fuel.
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