Conservative conference: UK in period of adjustment after Brexit, says PM

Controversial: Politics & Govt Politics & Govt: In The News
, , ,
1

Worries persist about the cost of living, as food and energy prices rise, alongside cuts to universal credit. But the PM insisted his plan for a higher wage, higher skilled economy would offer a long-term solution.

Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr on the first day of Conservative Party conference, Mr Johnson said: “There will be a period of adjustment, but that is what I think we need to see.”

Asked if he would raise taxes again, Mr Johnson replied: “If I can possibly avoid it, I do not want to raise taxes again. I can tell you that you have no fiercer and more zealous opponent of unnecessary tax rises than me, but we have had to deal with a pandemic on a scale which this country has not seen before in our lifetimes and long before. We don’t want to raise taxes, of course we don’t, but what we will not do is be irresponsible with the public finances 1.”

Cabinet members are warning against any further tax increases, with Leader of the House, Jacob Rees-Mogg, telling the Times the UK was taxed “as highly as the country can afford”, and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng saying: “We can’t tax our way to wealth.”

Asked about job shortages and supply issues in shops and on petrol forecourts, the PM insisted the lack of lorry drivers - affecting the delivery of goods - was not just a UK issue, claiming the United States and China were seeing similar problems, as well as some countries in Europe. And he said the petrol shortages were “very largely driven by demand”, adding: “I understand people’s frustrations and I understand how infuriating it is when you turn up and can’t get any. But we are making sure we have the supplementary drivers where necessary.”

Mr Johnson called out those who wanted to “go back to the tired, failed old model” of “reaching for the lever called uncontrolled immigration” to bring people into the country to fill the job gaps. But he did not reject comments made by Mr Sunak, who told the Daily Mail the “very real” shortages could affect Christmas,

Instead the PM said the country was going through a “period of adjustment” post-Brexit and needed to look to a future of “better paid, better skilled jobs” for British people.

Mr Johnson added: “What we had for decades was a system whereby [sectors like] the road haulage industry… were not investing in the truck stops, not improving conditions, not improving pay and we relied on very hard working people who were willing to come in, largely from European accession countries, to do that work under those conditions. What you need to do is make sure that people now invest in basic equipment, such as truck stops, and better pay. When people voted for change in 2016 [over Brexit] and when people voted for change again in 2019…they voted for the end of a broken model of the UK economy that relied on low wages and low skill and chronic low productivity and we are moving away from that. 2”

1 This coming from the man who gave away billions to his cronies in the course of the current pandemic … :roll_eyes:

2 Are we indeed? I shall look forward to the evidence … if it ever arrives … :069:

2 Likes
2

Oh my gosh…what rubbish. I don’t believe a word of what rumbles out of his mouth. The man is an absolute horror.

2 Likes
3

O M G. That interview this morning irritated me so much. Bloody Andrew Marr butting in before Boris had a chance to draw a breath let alone answer. :angry: :anger: :angry:

4

Aren’t they all like that though? :roll_eyes:

1 Like
5

Anyone else see the car crash that was Johnsons appearance on the Andrew Marr show this morning. Listening to Johnson this morning was a masterclass of bluster, ignoring the questions and treating the viewing public as idiots, no change there then.

When Andrew Marr said that there is likely to be the biggest cull of pigs which will then be incinerated, Johnsons reply was he was sure viewers would want to know that pigs are killed all the time which was necessary to provide food or words to that effect. Which of course was not what Marr question was about but Johnson ignored this.

When asked when he knew about the impending problem with drivers he ignored the question or rather said there had been driver issues for ages. When Marr pointed out that he had received a letter in June from the haulage association he ignored that also.

2 Likes
6

But that is true. Even the RHA admitted it.

1 Like
7

Theres going to be heart ache along the way, being in the EU subdued wages with eastern Europeans driving HGV’s earning a fortune ( to them ) from their low wages, with these drivers now elsewhere wages have to rise to pay decent wages, knock on is higher cost’s, meaning inflation, meaning higher interest rates, now here’s the crunch, mortgages are so low now and borrowing so high, if these go up to a level not seen since the 70’s boy are there going to be some negative equity , its a fine balance and Johnson won’t handle it.

2 Likes
8

I never cease to be amazed at the number of people desperate to blame somebody else - and especially the obvious, easy target - rather than accept that the real culprits are the people themselves.

We’ve not trained truck drivers in numbers for years, just like we haven’t trained brickies or electricians - and the fault lays squarely on the shoulders of their employers, not of any government.
Then people wonder why there aren’t enough lorry drivers, or why they can’t find a tradesman interested in doing the work they need doing?

9

Are you saying the absolutely woeful government of Boris Johnson is blameless?
That the lack of planning for Brexit is the fault of the people?
The appalling handling of the pandemic is down to Joe public?
The billions spent on useless PPE and the so called world beating trace and trace fiasco was the peoples fault?
Most interesting.

2 Likes
10

I didn’t see it but BJ is, as you say, a master of bluster - he talks a lot but all to no effect … :091:

He’s also a master of procrastination … :069:

11

It would indeed be interesting if it were true but it isn’t, because I said absolutely none of that.

12

Boris Johnson refuses to rule out future tax rises

Boris Johnson has argued that it would be “inappropriate” to keep the £20 per week uplift for Universal Credit (UC) as the Covid-19 pandemic is now waning, despite warnings from charities and campaigners about a surge in poverty from the planned cut.

The prime minister is facing widespread opposition over his proposal to cut the benefit, with some senior Tory MPs calling for the uplift to remain in place as the UK faces rising living costs.

There is also unease among Conservatives over the government’s attitude to tax and spending, with poorer households expected to be disproportionately impacted by ministers’ plans.

It came as the prime minister also dodged a question on whether his party would raise taxes again following a controversial increase in National Insurance to pay for changes to social care.

Now, IIRC, it’s the poor wot pays the tax and the rich wot pays the accountant to avoid (evade) paying tax … :thinking:

1 Like
13

The planning, for Brexit, was seriously derailed by so many MPs, and the Civil Service, playing every card they could find to stop it happening.

How many years. from the Majority decision to where we are now?

The handling of the Pandemic, in my opinion was as good, if not better than almost all other countries.

As for PPE & Track & Trace I refer you back to our amazing Civil service.

Sure, Boris has made mistakes, so why don’t we suggest who would have done it better?

Luckily, few of the opposition seem to have any plans at all!

3 Likes
14
15

Mass culls of pigs at farms because of a lack of abattoir workers are part of a necessary transition for Britain to emerge from a broken economic model based on low wages, Boris Johnson has argued.

His comments, on the first day of the Conservative conference, came as Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, insisted it was the role of business, not ministers, to sort out such problems.

Asked about warnings of the imminent slaughter and incineration of up to 120,000 pigs amid broad labour shortages across the UK, Johnson initially argued that this was no different to what normally happened to livestock 1.

Speaking to BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, he said (I assume, in a patronising tone):

“I hate to break it to you, Andrew, but I’m afraid our food processing industry does involve killing a lot of animals, that is the reality. Your viewers need to understand that. That’s just what happens.”

When Marr pointed out that it would be different, as in this instance the pigs would not be butchered for food and the farmers would receive no income, Johnson said this was part of a wider transformation of the economy post-Brexit.

“If I may say so, the great hecatomb (Ooh … clever … :roll_eyes:) of pigs that you describe has not yet actually taken place, let’s see what happens,” he said.

1 Well he would, wouldn’t he … :roll_eyes:

1 Like
16

Maybe we could use these pigs to make our own bacon instead of buying that watery Danish stuff?
I mean, if we can get lorry drivers to bring that from Denmark I’m pretty sure that instead we could shift a few of our own pigs?
:roll_eyes:

17

I think the figure here is 130,000+ and the problem is there are not the people in abattoirs or butchers to make your bacon etc.

18

I thought that Boris’ comments, about pigs being slaughtered, might have just been a metaphor for something closer to home!

1 Like
19

“A period of adjustment after Brexit”?

Obviously a graduate from the University of the Bleeding Obvious

20

Indeed they did, in detail, in a letter:

https://www.rha.uk.net/News/News-Blogs-and-Press-Releases/press-releases/detail/driver-shortage-rha-and-freight-industry-write-to-prime-minister-boris-johnson

23rd June 2021

Dear Prime Minister,

Critical supply chains failing due to the significant shortage of HGV drivers

We are urgently writing to ask for your personal intervention to help resolve the significant and rapidly deteriorating shortage of HGV drivers.

Prior to the pandemic, we estimated a shortage in excess of 60,000. At that time UK road transport businesses employed approximately 600,000 HGV drivers, including 60,000 from EU member states who were residing and working in the UK.

Several factors have exacerbated the shortage which is now at crisis point (over 100,000) and critical supply chains are failing. Those factors include:

COVID - Many drivers returned to their country of origin during extended periods of lockdown and restricted travel. The vast majority have not yet returned.

EU exit - The uncertainty of Brexit and future rights to live and work in the UK forced many drivers to do the same. Again, the vast majority have not returned nor are they expected to.

Retiring drivers - The average age of an HGV driver is 55, with less than 1% under the age of 25. Prolonged periods of inactivity have resulted in much of this aging workforce retiring early or finding employment in other, less demanding, sectors.

Test shortage - During a typical year, 72,000 candidates train to become HGV drivers with 40,000 succeeding. The complete shutdown of vocational driving tests throughout much of last year resulted in the loss of over 30,000 test slots and only 15,000 were able to complete training successfully - a drop of 25,000 from the previous year.

IR35 - The introduction of IR35 has resulted in agency labour withdrawing their services as low-profit margin logistics businesses (typically 2-3%) cannot sustain demands for £5-£6 per hour rate increases. For clarity, we welcome legislation that ensures fair and equal tax for all. However, Government must now recognise the repercussions of this and the other issues mentioned and urgently intervene to help us to resolve the resulting crisis.

We are grateful to Ministers from the Departments for Transport, and Work and Pensions, who have met with us to discuss solutions, but it is clear, despite best intentions, that there is no immediate plan. We firmly believe that intervention from the Prime Minister / Cabinet Office is the only way that we will be able to avert critical supply chains failing at an unprecedented and unimaginable level. Supermarkets are already reporting that they are not receiving their expected food stocks and, as a result, there is considerable wastage.

To make the situation even worse, summer holidays are fast approaching, and drivers will take their leave entitlement. The lack of agency drivers to help support their absence will exacerbate the problem even further as will continued unlocking of the economy and the spikes in demand for food and drink created by the hot weather and major sporting events. Furthermore, the Christmas build that retailers begin in August / September will be seriously affected – all of which will affect Government’s ability to “build back better”.

We are asking for your direct support as follows:

  1. We need an immediate solution to this problem - we are not going to solve this now by training drivers and as such need access to EU and EEA labour. We ask for the introduction of a temporary worker visa for HGV drivers and for this occupation to be added to the Home Office Shortage Occupation List.

This will allow UK-registered transport operators to access a workforce that can live and work in the UK more easily and encourage those who have left to return - even if this is short-term measure whilst we concentrate on a longer-term plan. DEFRA already have arrangements in place that support our harvest periods when foreign labour restrictions are eased for specific demand. The same principles should be applied.

  1. Government needs to work with the industry to help address the broader issues around the skills shortage. We must work collectively to achieve a sustainable way of recruiting and training a homegrown workforce so that our reliance on foreign labour dissipates over time. We ask that a taskforce is immediately established to include representation from all of the relevant areas of Government and industry to help drive this change at the pace that is so desperately needed.

  2. The DEFRA Food Resilience Industry Forum, chaired by Chris Tyas, helped to ensure the nation’s supply integrity throughout the pandemic. This was recently disbanded. However, in view of the growing crisis, it must be re-established at the earliest opportunity.

It is our collective view that there has never been a more challenging time for this industry and we urge you to take these decisive steps to ensure that we can continue to maintain the UK’s integrated and finely balanced supply chains.

BJ, of course, put it in his pending (procrastination) tray … :roll_eyes:

1 Like