Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Tories bake up excuses for shortages hell Soaring UK economy and Covid blamed
SHORTAGES hitting the UK could drag on until Christmas, Boris Johnson has admitted.
The Prime Minister was grilled at the start of the Conservative Party Conference about comments on the crisis made by Rishi Sunak.
Mr Johnson said yesterday the Chancellor is “right invariably in everything he says” and claimed shortages are due to a booming economy.
He said: “What you’re seeing is the stresses and strains caused in a UK economy that is now the fastest growing in the G7.”
Yet amid the country’s crippling supply pipeline chaos, it seems the conference in Manchester is desperately trying to distract attention.
Vendors are offering all manner of odd merchandise, including Boris Johnson Toby jugs for £28.95. And in another bizarre stunt, the PM tried his hand at baking at the city’s Hideout Youth Zone yesterday, watched by Home Secretary Priti Patel.
Meanwhile, at a fringe event, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss blamed the nationwide shortages on the pandemic and said that the PM is “not responsible for what’s in the shops”.
She added: “We saw during Covid that there was huge disruptions across the world’s supply chains and we’re still seeing that backing up.”
Food industry experts fear a lack of pigs in blankets on Christmas plates due to worker shortages. And Tory chairman Oliver Dowden tried to ease mounting fears of a turkey shortage.
“We will make sure that people have turkeys for Christmas,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Petrol Retailers Association said the fuel crisis is “getting worse” and the Army being deployed today will not end it.
Chairman Brian Madderson said the situation remains “critical” in the
South East and some parts of eastern England. He said of the military aid: “They are not going to be able to carry that much.” Research by consultant CGA found one in six hospitality jobs is currently vacant.
Toy giant The Entertainer said worker shortages could lead to less choice this Christmas as warehouses focus on dispatching popular lines. But
the PM continued to resist calls to revise the visa system and ask EU migrants to fill vacancies.
He said: “The way forward is not to just pull the big lever marked ‘uncontrolled immigration’ and allow in huge numbers of people to do work.
“I won’t go back to the old failed model of low wages, low skills supported by uncontrolled immigra
tion.” He admitted the Road Haulage Association warned him in June of a crisis due to HGV licence shortages.
But he hit back: “What needs to happen now is people need to be
decently paid.” Mr Johnson also sparked fury by appearing to dismiss the outcomes of cancer sufferers.
He said: “Never mind life expectancy, cancer outcomes – look at wage growth. Wage growth is now being experienced faster by those on lower incomes.”
Dr Clive Peedle, a consultant clinical oncologist and NHS campaigner, said: “As a cancer doctor in the North East of England, I find Boris Johnson’s comments abhorrent.” ben.glaze@mirror.co.uk
@benglaze