Government working on temporary visa scheme for HGV drivers

The UK is thought to be down 100,000 HGV drivers.

The specifics of a temporary visa scheme to allow foreign lorry drivers access to the UK are believed to be set out on Sunday. In response to the shortage of HGV drivers, which the government denies being due to Brexit, a temporary visa scheme is thought to allow foreign HGV drivers access to the UK, reports the BBC. Any changes would be for a short period only, and there would be a cap on the number of drivers able to operate on UK soil. It is understood that around 5,000 visas could be issued, says the BBC. A shortage of HGV drivers has wreaked havoc across the UK, leaving empty shelves and forcing numerous petrol stations to close. Though many people have been quick to point at Brexit as the root cause, the government have insisted that that is not the case. Just a coincidence, I guess? But now, in a bid to regain control as we approach the busy festive season, the government are scrambling to reintroduce the workers they had previously banned from working in the UK. The UK is currently short of 100,000 HGV drivers, says the Road Haulage Association. BP said roughly twenty of its 1,200 petrol stations are currently closed, with a further 50 to 100 sites affected by the crisis. As ministers cling to the original hope of Brexit, already rules and guidelines are having to be altered to combat growing shortages. On Friday, the director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium said that the government has just ten days to save Christmas! "HGV drivers are the glue which hold our supply chains together," said Opie. "Without them, we are unable to move goods from farms to warehouses to shops. "Unless new drivers are found in the next ten days, it is inevitable that we will see significant disruption in the run-up to Christmas."

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