• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Watch: Shapps slammed for blaming haulage group for fuel queues and defending foreign HGV driver plan

"If we hadn’t left the European Union we wouldn’t be able to introduce desperate, probably doomed, ideas designed to address problems caused by leaving the European Union.Grant Shapps there, reaching peak Grant Shapps."

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2021-09-26 11:28
in News
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

The Transport Secretary has defended his foreign visa plans to solve the HGV driver shortage as he accused a haulage group of sparking petrol station queues.

Grant Shapps said the queues and closures at fuel stations were a “manufactured situation” created by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) leaking comments from BP bosses about supply concerns.

The Government announced a temporary visa scheme that will see 5,000 HGV drivers and 5,500 poultry workers brought in on three-month contracts to keep supermarket shelves stocked with turkeys and tackle fuel delivery difficulties.

Mr Shapps admitted he had done something he “didn’t necessarily want to do” in allowing foreign workers to fill the workforce gaps, having only on Friday rallied against the idea of temporary visas.

Irresponsible

Speaking to Sky News’ Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme, Mr Shapps said: “We need to ensure that people are reassured now that this rather manufactured situation has been created, because there’s enough petrol in the country.”

Asked who manufactured the situation, he said: “There was a meeting which took place about 10 days ago, a private meeting in which one of the haulage associations decided to leak the details to media, and that has created, as we have seen, quite a large degree of concern as people naturally react to those things.”

He later told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show the briefings were “irresponsible”.

RelatedPosts

‘Total hypocrisy:’ UK coal mine gives ‘carte blanche’ to other countries to miss climate change targets

Final Partygate fines figure revealed as is eye-watering cost of investigation

Tory rape arrest: ‘I’ve seen some unacceptable comments from Conservative MPs’

Watch: Praise for Mhairi Black as she calls out creeping ‘fascism’ in UK

The Cabinet minister called for the public to be “sensible” and only fill up their cars when needed as there is “plenty of fuel” available.

Although Mr Shapps did not name the RHA in his broadcast round on Sunday, the Mail on Sunday quoted a Government source stating the Road Haulage Association was “entirely responsible for this panic and chaos”.

But Rod McKenzie, of the RHA, told the BBC: “This is absolute nonsense, I’m not the source of the leak.”

James O’Brien tweeted: “If we hadn’t left the European Union we wouldn’t be able to introduce desperate, probably doomed, ideas designed to address problems caused by leaving the European Union. Grant Shapps there, reaching peak Grant Shapps.”

If we hadn’t left the European Union we wouldn’t be able to introduce desperate, probably doomed, ideas designed to address problems caused by leaving the European Union.

Grant Shapps there, reaching peak Grant Shapps.

— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) September 26, 2021

Caroline Lucas wrote: “Grant Shapps in La La Land – everything’s fine, none of this is the Government’s fault and definitely definitely nothing to do with #Brexit – obvs #Marr“

Grant Shapps in La La Land – everything’s fine, none of this is the Government’s fault and definitely definitely nothing to do with #Brexit – obvs #Marr

— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) September 26, 2021

Today Grant Shapps will be pretending that the HGV crisis is nothing to do with Brexit, while simultaneously promising to solve it by bringing back people who left because of Brexit. #marr #phillips#BrexitHasFailed

— Parody Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson_MP) September 26, 2021

maybe it's an undramatic shortage of 100,000 drivers

— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) September 26, 2021

No fuel shortage says Grant Shapps. If you believe that, you will believe anything. https://t.co/NoQdlhczdn

— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) September 26, 2021

Watch:

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says he does not agree with criticism from the European Haulage Association that a visa scheme aimed at fixing a shortage of HGV drivers will be insufficient

Follow #Phillips live: https://t.co/p91FXzumkX pic.twitter.com/1rkBPcReTZ

— Trevor Phillips on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) September 26, 2021

Related: Watch: ‘ Alan Partridge springs to mind’ – Matt Hancock’s comeback video lambasted

Tags: Grant Shapps

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Film Review: Happy End

Chatsworth Bakehouse: The small-batch bakery making sandwiches that sell out faster than Glastonbury

European leader watches as Theresa May fails to exit her own car

We must stop the far-right from subverting Black Lives Matter

The World’s Biggest Liar

A hospital is on LOCKDOWN by police for an entire day due to ‘major incident’

Leeds United sack Thomas Christiansen – here are the likely replacements

Almost half of all Brits now admit they struggle to make ends meet

Poll reveals cash strapped Britain is beset with buyer’s remorse

London Marathon: What Are the Alternatives

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.