Boris Johnson contemplates post-COVID economy as British Tories meet

LONDON (AP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is ready to take “bold decisions” to rebuild the economy after the coronavirus pandemic like his Conservative Party meets on Sunday for its first annual conference since 2019.

The Tory conference opens Sunday in the city of Manchester, in the north-west, due to a shortage of truck drivers to deliver fuel across Britain continues to cause empty pumps and long queues at many gas stations. Concerns over larger labor shortages, higher taxes, rising energy bills and a cut in welfare benefits from this week are among other challenges Johnson faces.

Despite economic concerns, opinion polls suggest Johnson and his Conservatives were in front of the Labor opposition Party.

Ahead of the conference, Johnson said he was ready to make “big and bold decisions on priorities that matter to people – like social care, job support, climate change, tackling crime and the passage to the next level “.

Asked about the truck driver shortage crisis, Johnson said it was a “chronic problem” associated with overdependence on migrant workers willing to work for low wages and poor wages. conditions. He said he would not repeat that mistake.

“The way forward for our country is not simply to pull the big lever marked by uncontrolled immigration and allow a large number of people to work,” he told the BBC.

Referring to the 2016 referendum which led to BritainLeaving the European Union, Johnson said, “When people voted for change in 2016… I walk away from that.

Johnson said BritainIndonesia’s economy is going through a “period of adjustment†after Brexit and has recognized that supply chain problems and food and fuel shortages could continue until Christmas.

He also maintained that the situation at gas stations was improving after more than a week of disruption – although retailers say drivers still cannot stock up on petrol at many pumps in the London area and the south-east of England.

Britain has long suffered from a shortage of truck drivers, but the problem came to a head with the combination of Brexit, which ended the free movement of workers from the EU to Britain, and the pandemic, which has severely restricted travel and interrupted the training of national drivers supposed to replace those who have left for their country of origin.

About 200 soldiers, including 100 drivers, will take to the roads from Monday to help ease fuel shortages.

The Petrol Retailers Association welcomed the move, but warned that it would have limited impact given the relatively small number of people involved.

The government also announced on Friday that it was extending an emergency visa program for thousands of foreign truck drivers.