UK shoppers have been warned they should buy their Christmas dinner soon and put it in the freezer to avoid disappointment, as Boris Johnson’s plan to give 5,000 foreign lorry drivers temporary visas continues to be panned.
The government hopes that workers brought in from overseas will help “save” the holiday but food and haulage industry leaders were quick to pour cold water on the scheme.
“Ultimately, now I think we have just run out of time,” James Withers, of Scotland Food & Drink, told The Independent. “I don’t think there is anything that can be done now to get the Christmas trade where it should be.”
It comes as it was revealed ministers have urged thousands of Germans living in the UK to drive lorries in a bid to assist with the HGV shortage – even if they have never driven one before.
Germans based in Britain were sent a letter by the Department for Transport, signed by transport minister Baroness Vere, asking them to “consider returning” to the HGV driving sector. “Your valuable skills and experience have never been more needed than they are now,” it states, as the government scrambles to counter shortages.
Follow our live coverage below
