Cabinet rift on business row

FIVE ministers tell Mail they fear Tory war with companies

BORIS Johnson is facing a Cabinet backlash over his war with business.

Five Cabinet ministers have told the Mail they want the Prime Minister to adopt a more ‘pragmatic’ approach to helping firms cope with staff shortages this winter.

Mr Johnson warned business this week there was ‘no alternative’ to his plan to train British workers to fill staff shortages rather than relying on cheap labour from abroad.

Home Secretary Priti Patel and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng are also opposed to any further easing of visa rules, arguing that firms have to adapt to the post-Brexit reality that free movement has ended.

But other ministers fear this ‘ideological’ approach will lead to empty shelves in the run-up to Christmas, for which the Government will be blamed.

One Cabinet minister told the Mail: ‘Some of my colleagues just want to tough it out, tell business to stop whingeing. I suspect they will go very quiet if we run into serious shortages this winter.

‘People expect their government to take a pragmatic approach to problems like this, rather than sticking rigidly to an ideological stance.’

A second said: ‘I don’t think it’s right to say there is no alternative in the short term. The PM is right that we are in a transition to a post-Brexit world where business is going to have to invest more and pay more.

‘But it is happening very fast and we should be pragmatic about finding ways to minimise any disruption in the short term. If that means a few more temporary visas then so be it.’

A third senior minister pointed to reports this week that farmers are having to pay broccoli pickers up to £30 an hour to harvest their crops, fuelling fears of inflation.

The source added: ‘I think we just have to accept there are certain jobs British people no longer want to do. Vegetable picking is a good example where – even with higher wages – growers cannot attract people.

‘In the short term I think we have to accept more seasonal migrant labour is needed.’

Environment Secretary George Eustice revealed ministers are considering whether to issue thousands of temporary visas for foreign butchers following warnings that a shortage of skilled staff means 100,000 pigs may have to be slaughtered and incinerated.

He told the Farmers Weekly podcast that he is considering making ‘tweaks’ to the skills list as many butchers are falling short of the English language requirements.

Ministers have already approved 5,000 temporary visas for HGV drivers and a further 5,500 for poultry workers in the run-up to Christmas to head off fears of a turkey shortage.

Nick Allen of the British Meat Processors Association said it was ‘nonsense’ to claim problems in the sector were due to low wages. He said even ‘dramatic’ wage rises were failing to attract British applicants.

‘Take pragmatic approach’