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Fuel shortages – live: Johnson urges people not to panic buy as Labour says government ‘reduced UK to chaos’



Boris Johnson urges people not to panic buy amid fuel crisis

PM Boris Johnson has urged motorists to fill up their tanks “in the normal way” and promised them that the petrol station fuel shortage is “stabilising”.

In a pooled interview with broadcasters, he said: “We’re now starting to see the situation improve, we’re hearing from industry that supplies are coming back onto the forecourts in the normal way.

“I would just really urge everybody to just go about their business in the normal way,” he added.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer blamed the Tory government for allowing the UK be reduced to “chaos” over fuel, and called on Mr Johnson to give key workers priority at petrol stations.

In Brighton, at Labour conference, he told BBC News: “I spoke to the haulage sector this morningthey are beyond frustrated.

“They said it’s a government that is denying there’s a problem, then blaming somebody else, and then coming up with a half-baked plan.”

Sir Keir said there was a “strong view” that the 5,000 three-month visas the government plans to issue to foreign lorry drivers would need to be for at least six months “if they were to tempt sufficient numbers to come to the UK.”

Follow our live coverage on the situation below

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Up to 300 troops to be on standby in Operation Escalin

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has signed off the request for military assistance, with up to 300 troops available for deployment if needed.

Sources said 150 drivers and 150 drivers’ mates could be made available under Operation Escalin.

Government sources confirmed the military assistance to the civil authorities (Maca) request had been approved.

On Monday, the government announced that it was putting troops on standby to drive tankers as a “precautionary step” if fuel supply problems persisted.

Lamiat Sabin28 September 2021 19:10

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47% of people blame media for fuel panic buying – poll

Lamiat Sabin28 September 2021 18:50

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Carers ‘unable to make rounds’ and forced to prioritise patients

The ongoing fuel supply crisis has led to carers being “unable to make their rounds” and forced to prioritise patients, care providers have said.

The government has been urged by Labour and trade unions to find a way to get health and social care workers able to avoid queues at petrol stations as panic buying continues.

Beatrice Hamujuni-Smith, who runs a home care service, said carers were “busy looking for fuel” over the weekend instead of working.

“There has been severe delays. We are trying to make priorities so that the ones with the most severe needs, we get to them somehow,” she told The Independent.

Zoe Tidman and Holly Bancroft report

Lamiat Sabin28 September 2021 18:30

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PM does not pledge petrol priority pass for key workers

Boris Johnson has not suggested that there will be any plans to give key workers priority at petrol stations.

It comes after unions and the Labour Party called on the government to give such workers, particularly those in the health and care sector, the ability to be served first as panic buying of fuel continued to grip the UK.

When asked if any such plan was being considered, PM Mr Johnson reiterated his assurances that the situation has been “stabilising”.

He said: “I understand people saying that but with the situation now stabilising, with things getting better on the forecourt, the best thing is that… we stabilise it in the normal way.”

Lamiat Sabin28 September 2021 18:10

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Boris Johnson insists fuel crisis is getting better

The Prime Minister has said the situation on the filling station forecourts is “stabilising” as he urged motorists to go about their business in the “normal way”.

Following days of chaos, with long queues for petrol and stations running dry, Boris Johnson said he “sympathises” with drivers over the frustration they are feeling while struggling to fill up their tanks.

In warning against panic buying that has been seen across the country, he said early indications from the industry show that the situation was beginning to improve as supplies have returned to normal levels.

In a pooled interview with broadcasters, Mr Johnson appeared to deflect from government failings by saying that the global economy is “really sucking in a huge amount of demand at the moment for gas [and] for lorry drivers – there are shortages across the world.”

Deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports

Lamiat Sabin28 September 2021 17:41

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Tories reduced Britain to ‘chaos’ over fuel fiasco, says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has accused the government of reducing the UK to “chaos” through failure to deal with the fuel crisis.

The Labour leader called on Boris Johnson to give key workers priority at petrol stations to ensure they can fill their tanks to get to work.

In Brighton, where Labour is holding its annual party conference, he told BBC News: “I spoke to the haulage sector this morning, to the businesses that are absolutely in the middle of this, and they are beyond frustrated.

“They said it’s a government that is denying there’s a problem, then blaming somebody else, and then coming up with a half-baked plan.”

Sir Keir said there was a “strong view” that the 5,000 three-month visas the government plans to issue to foreign lorry drivers would need to be for at least six months “if they were to tempt sufficient numbers to come to the UK.”

Sir Keir resisted blaming Brexit directly for the shortage of HGV drivers but accepted it was partly a consequence of leaving the EU.

Lamiat Sabin28 September 2021 17:00

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Watch: ‘Signs of stabilisation in fuel crisis,’ says Shapps

Shapps: Signs of stabilisation in fuel crisis

Sam Hancock28 September 2021 16:25

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Calls for teachers to be priority group after school buses cancelled

The UK’s ongoing fuel crisis has led to school buses being cancelled and calls for teachers to be a priority group for petrol and diesel amid reports staff are struggling to make it into school.

One education union has warned the continuing impact of fuel shortages is “expected to cause serious difficulties” for schooling, reports Zoe Tidman.

Meanwhile, a headteacher, who gave her name only as Michelle, told LBC her pupils and staff were facing trouble getting into school due to the fuel shortages affecting the nation. “One of my buses couldn’t run because we had no diesel,” she told the radio station on Tuesday morning.

Sam Hancock28 September 2021 16:15

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Average fuel prices ‘stable’ amid ongoing crisis – report

Average UK fuel prices prices remain stable despite long queues and pump closures, a report suggests, though there are incidents of filling stations hiking charges.

Government figures show that the average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts increased by just a fraction of 1p to £1.35 on Monday. Typical diesel prices rose from £1.37p to £1.38p over the same period.

The AA said that instances of petrol stations increasing prices are likely to be attempts to deter drivers from topping up fuel tanks when they do not need to.

It added that prices at forecourts off main roads “tend to be dearer” but “not massively”.

The RAC has warned that rising wholesale prices are set to be passed on to motorists in the coming days, with oil edging closer to 80 US dollars a barrel.

Online news site Black Country Live said an independent Esso-branded garage in Wednesbury, West Midlands, was selling petrol at 149.9p per litre, prompting community campaigner David Wilkes to brand the owners “greedy” and “ridiculous”.

Sam Hancock28 September 2021 16:00

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PRA claims pump crisis ‘coming to an end’

Some good news from the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA).

Gordon Balmer, PRA’s executive director, has said there are “early signs that the crisis at pumps is ending, with more of our members reporting that they are now taking further deliveries of fuel.”

He said in a statement that fuel stocks remain normal at refineries and terminals, however deliveries have been reduced due to the shortage of HGV drivers.

“We have conducted a survey of our members this morning and only 37 per cent of forecourts have reported being out of fuel today,” he said. “With regular restocks taking place, this percentage is likely to improve further over the next 24 hours”.

A ‘No Fuel’ sign is attached to an empty petrol pump at a BP filling station in Manchester

(REUTERS)

Sam Hancock28 September 2021 15:50



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