Lorry drivers

Crisis set to roll on beyond Christmas

The Government has privately conceded that the lorry driver crisis will not be resolved in time to prevent disruption at Christmas, The Daily Telegraph has been told.

Ministers are scrambling to address supply chain issues for retailers, supermarkets and restaurants, fuelled by a shortfall of 90,000 HGV drivers.

In recent weeks they have tried to address the problem by freeing up testing capacity for new drivers and extending lorry driver hours. A new ministerial group is also monitoring the situation. But senior Whitehall insiders have revealed that departments have privately concluded they are too late to resolve the issue before the festive period.

Officials have warned that even if they “pull every single policy lever”, the impact would not be realised till the new year, it is understood.