Law change to let suppliers fill up their rivals

FUEL suppliers will be allowed to fill up rival companies’ petrol station tanks in a bid to stop forecourts running dry, ministers agreed last night.

The Government suspended competition laws to allow businesses to work together so they can see where there are shortages and address them.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng agreed the plan with other ministers yesterday as the Government tried to stop the economy grinding to a halt.

A joint statement from energy

‘Businesses can work together’

and logistics companies including Shell, ExxonMobil and Wincanton last night said: ‘We are in regular contact with ministers and policy officials and it was reassuring to meet with the Business Secretary again on Sunday evening and discuss further action.’ It also reassured drivers there is ‘not a national shortage of fuel’.

It comes as Labour yesterday urged ministers to allow in 100,000 foreign lorry drivers to tackle the shortfall brought on by, Covid, Brexit and retiring workers.

Ministers this weekend caved into pressure and relaxed visa rules to allow 5,000 HGV drivers and 5,500 poultry workers into the UK on three-month contracts.

However, Sir Keir Starmer yesterday said that the Government had not gone far enough.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: ‘I’m astonished the Government is not acting today. The Prime Minister needs to say today what he is going to do.’

There is believed to be a shortage of more than 100,000 drivers and when asked if he would allow this number in, Sir Keir said: ‘We have to issue enough visas to cover the number of drivers that we need.’

Across mainland Europe, the total number of drivers is down by 400,000. It comes as Transport Secretary Grant Shapps urged furloughed workers to retrain as truckers as the scheme comes to an end.

He told the BBC show: ‘There are 1.6million people coming off furlough this month. The British people should be able to skill up and take these jobs and we shouldn’t keep undercutting people.’