UK faces tough ‘competition’ with EU for lorry drivers, minister admits as visa scheme extended

The UK faces a competitive battle with EU countries to attract more lorry drivers and ease the fuel and food supply crisis, a cabinet minister has admitted.

It comes as the government announced a U-turn on its emergency visa scheme, relenting to pressure from food and fuel industry chiefs by extending its temporary visa schemes beyond Christmas Eve.

The visa scheme for nearly 5,000 foreign food haulage drivers – who can arrive from late October – will now be extended to the end of February in a desperate bid to avoid chaos over the festive period.

Some 300 of the haulage drivers will be encouraged to come to Britain immediately and allowed to stay until the end of March.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said he was “confident” the scheme would encourage more EU drivers to work in the UK. “Of course there is competition for drivers – that’s taking place throughout Europe,” he told Sky News.

Describing the shortage of drivers as an “international problem”, Mr Javid said: “In the short term I think it’s right to try to see we can get more drivers [from abroad]. I think that will work.”

But Labour wrote to home secretary Priti Patel demanding clarity on when the overseas drivers will arrive and how long they will be allowed to stay.

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds reminded Ms Patel that as long ago as 5 August, transport secretary Grant Shapps dismissed his call for changes to the immigration points system to reflect the HGV skills shortage, telling him:  “I do not support using foreign labour to tackle a long-standing issue in the haulage industry.”

The government has asked thousands of German nationals living in the UK to drive lorries to assist with the drastic shortage – even if they have never driven one before, The Independent revealed on Friday.

The Department for Transport letters were also sent out letters to thousands of firefighters, urging them to consider giving up life-saving jobs to take up haulage driving, it has emerged.

Mr Javid claimed the fuel situation is already “stabilising” and “heading in the right direction” in most parts of the country and the military is being deployed only as a “precaution”.

But the Petrol Retailers Association – said fuel supply remains a “big problem” in south-east of England, despite improving in Scotland, the north of England and parts of the Midlands.

Brian Madderson, PRA chairman, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the situation in London and south-east England had got worse, and said the military drivers set to fill from Monday will be a “large help”.

Army drivers will be deployed to deliver fuel to forecourts from Monday as the crisis at the pumps continues. Almost 200 military personnel – including 100 drivers – have been training at haulier sites and will start deliveries to help relieve the pressure at petrol stations.

Meanwhile, chancellor Rishi Sunak has conceded that shortages of goods could continue in the run-up to Christmas. “These shortages are very real,” he told the Daily Mail.

He added: “We’re seeing real disruptions in supply chains in different sectors, not just here but around the world ... My kids will be very upset with me if there isn’t a proper Christmas.”

Speaking to The Times on the eve of the Conservative conference, Boris Johnson did not rule out supply disruption at Christmas. “What I confidently predict is that this Christmas will be considerably better than last Christmas,” he said.

Insisting there would be no further increase in the 5,000 visas for lorry drivers, Mr Johnson said “you can’t simply reach for the lever marked ‘uncontrolled immigration’”.

The government also said 5,500 poultry workers will also be allowed in to keep supermarket shelves stocked with turkeys before Christmas as part a series of announcements made on Friday evening.

The government has said these poultry workers, who can arrive from late October, will be able to stay up to 31 December under the temporary visa scheme.

It comes as opposition parties raised the prospect of a parliamentary recall to address wider labour shortages and supply chain disruption.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the temporary visa scheme would not be up and running “for weeks”, and added that Mr Johnson should, if necessary, recall parliament to rush through legislation to ensure the shelves remain stocked.

The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said the prime minister “must immediately recall parliament and convene cross-party talks to set out steps to effectively tackle the Brexit crisis”.