The UK does not rule out visa facilitation for truck drivers and even the use of the army, after a shortage of workers, some gas stations have stopped working, according to Bloomberg.
Transport Minister Grant Shaps told the BBC he was doing his best to address the issue. “We will do everything necessary to ensure a sufficient number of drivers,” he said on Friday.
Due to the lack of drivers, supermarkets on the island are already having difficulty obtaining the required number of goods. The UK is also currently suffering from a crisis in the supply of gas and electricity in general, which threatens to bankrupt businesses and consumers – rising costs.
Asked whether soldiers could drive fuel trucks if the situation persisted, Shaps said: “… If there is a role for the army, if it can help, we will connect it.” “I do not rule anything out,” he added.
Earlier, BP, the second largest fuel retailer in the UK, announced the closure of some gas stations due to a shortage of fuel truck drivers. According to Shaps, these are five gas stations. Exxon Mobil has also said it will close a “small number” of the 200 gas stations it operates.
Shaps also said the government could make an exception to the immigration rules for drivers, something the business has been insisting on for weeks.