Some 200 soldiers will be added from Monday to so called STAIN operation to guarantee supply in British gas stations, after the crisis created by the lack of drivers.
The Ministry of Defense confirmed the unusual “deployment” military to alleviate the fuel supply problems that affect especially southern England and London, after ten days of endless queues in gas stations.
“Although the situation is stabilizing, our armed forces will be there to fill vacancies, support the industry and help move the country,” said Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
During the last week, a long hundred soldiers have been trained to the heavy vehicle controls and have remained in the reserve, waiting for the moment to move on to action.
“In Scotland and northern England, it has been somewhat better, but in London and in the southeast, the situation is if it is even worse,” he warned BBC Brian Madderson, president of the Association of Oil Retailers (PRA).
The mobilization of soldiers is a temporary solution, recalcated Madireson: “What we need is a medium and long-term strategy to prevent this situation from being repeated.”
The intervention of the army in the supply crisis, which threatens to spread to other sectors, arrives at the worst possible time for Boris Johnson.
The Premier will intervene next week at the National Conference of the Conservative Party in Manchester, among the growing acrimonial of the British towards their bad management of the crisis, amplified by Brexit and the pandemic.
Faced with the pressures of the sectors most affected by the lack of personnel, the transportation to food, Johnson acceded at last time Friday to make immigration restrictions, extend thousands of visas that expired at the end of the year and allow the arrival of 4,700
Truck drivers from October to February.
Other 5,500 workers in the poultry sector will also receive temporary permits for the next three months, before the S.O.S.
Launched by employers by vacancies left by Eastern Europe immigrants after Brexit.
The same problem affects slaughterhouses and pork processing plants.
Up to 120,000 animals could be sacrificed (and later buried or incinerated) by the lack of space on farms.
“What we are seeing is a real disruption of supply chains in different sectors, not only in the United Kingdom but in other parts of the world,” said Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak in statements to The Daily Mail. ”
We are determined to do everything we can to try to mitigate everything that is happening. ”
Sunak recognized that millions of British families face “a hard winter” for inflation, the energy crisis and the cutting of social aid.
The critical situation also occurs just at the end of the Covid Aid Program evaluated by more than 80,000 million euros that has served to protect 12 million jobs.
The Treasury Secretary has announced this week the creation of a special fund of 600 million euros of aid to disadvantaged families this winter, considering insufficiently by the Labor Opposition.
The Labor Leader Keir Starmer has asked for the call for an urgent session of Parliament to address the crisis and has accused Boris Johnson to “ignore problems and respond with half-solutions.”