Empty shelves, gas shortages and huge energy prices. Britain is heading for a “difficult winter”

A significant shortage of truck drivers has led to a shortage of fuel and goods deliveries.

In an attempt to encourage people to get hired, some employers would have offered salaries of up to £ 70,000 ($ 95,750) a year, with bonuses of £ 2,000.

Speaking to ITV News on Thursday, Paul Scully, the UK’s Minister for Small Business, warned that “it will be a really difficult winter for people”.

“We know this will be a challenge and that is why we do not underestimate the situation in which we all find ourselves,” he said.

However, Scully told Times Radio on Friday that “there is no need for people to go out and buy in panic.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said earlier this week that there was no shortage of fuel in the UK, and people should continue to buy petrol as usual. He also described the UK food supply chain as “extremely resilient”, but acknowledged that some companies in the industry were facing difficulties and said the government was meeting with industry representatives.

As the supply of some essential goods declined, information about empty shelves and long queues of cars at gas stations emerged.

In an interview with the BBC on Friday, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said people should continue to buy petrol as usual, adding that military personnel would be brought in to drive trucks if needed. thing would help the situation.

Oil giant BP confirmed on Friday that it had temporarily closed several of its gas stations in the UK due to a lack of unleaded petrol and diesel.

“These have been caused by some delays in the supply chain, caused by the lack of drivers across the industry in the UK and there are many actions taken to address the issue,” a spokesman said in an email.

An Esso spokesman, part of the Exxon Mobil group, told CNBC that a small number of gas stations operating in the UK were affected by the lack of fuel, but that the company “works closely with all parts of our network distribution to optimize supply and minimize any inconvenience to customers. “

In a statement sent by e-mail, a spokesman for Tesco, the largest supermarket chain in the UK and an operator of 500 gas stations, announced on Friday: “We have a good availability of fuel, deliveries reaching gas stations our UK every day. “So far, the company has registered only temporary interruptions of activity at two of its own gas stations. Some stations are owned by other operators, but have a Tesco store on site.

Sainsbury’s said it is not currently facing fuel problems, but is monitoring the situation.

Some UK food supplies were also affected by supply disruptions. But according to Ian Wright, executive director of the UK Food and Beverage Federation, food and beverage producers in the country face “the same severe labor shortages as those seen in the food supply chain”.

“We need the Government to urgently conduct a full survey of the state of employment markets to understand the most pressing issues. For example, workers may have returned to their countries of origin during quarantine and not return [în Marea Britanie]. Some estimates put this figure at over one million. If rapid action is not taken, the impacts we are already seeing will worsen, “he said in an e-mailed statement.

In recent days, a severe shortage of carbon dioxide in the UK has raised concerns that food production will be hit and could affect national supply.

The US producer of CO2 CF Industries recently closed two units in the UK that produce 60% of the country’s commercial supply, blaming rising gas prices.
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While the British government has reached an agreement with the company to resume production, the BBC reported that the country’s food industry could end up paying five times as much for carbon dioxide under the agreement.

Energy companies have also been under pressure, with at least seven suppliers collapsing since August, after the price of wholesale natural gas rose by 250% in less than nine months. According to the organization of the energy industry OGUK, prices rose by 70% only between August and September.

The UK has limits on the energy prices that suppliers can charge customers, with government-reviewed price caps every six months.

Some analysts expect the current ceiling to be raised when it is reviewed by ministers in April, which means that British households will absorb some of the high wholesale cost.

In a report on its latest monetary policy decision on Thursday, the Bank of England warned that the inflation rate is likely to rise to “just over” 4% this year, double the institution’s target level.

An increase in demand following the lifting of the quarantine for coronavirus is seen as a factor behind these problems, as well as the lack of labor and supply, exacerbated by Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union earlier this year.

Speaking to CNBC on Friday in a phone call, Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said the chaos in the country’s supply would not be completely resolved before winter. The shortage could take at least six months to resolve, Selfin said.

“We are less vulnerable because there is already a lot of pressure in the system. Any additional shock, such as the one we just saw with gas prices, will make it harder for businesses and households to absorb it, ”she said.

However, Selfin’s overall forecast for the UK economy remained positive.

“The good news is that we are pretty close to where we were before [ de pandemia de coronavirus. Ne aşteptăm ca economia să atingă nivelul pre-Covid până în al treilea trimestru al anului viitor. Chiar şi cu şocuri suplimentare, este posibil să avem o creştere mai slabă, dar ne aşteptăm în continuare la o creştere de 6,2 puncte procentuale”, a spus ea.

În opinia sa, ”principala problemă este că există o cerere foarte puternică care nu poate fi satisfăcută. Deci este rău, dar ar putea fi mai rău dacă nimeni nu ar vrea să cumpere nimic “, a adăugat Selfin.

Andrew Goodwin, economist şef al Regatului Unit la Oxford Economics, a declarat, de asemenea, vineri, pentru CNBC, că va fi nevoie de timp pentru a rezolva lipsa şoferilor pentru livrarea mărfurilor.

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