UK PM Boris Johnson considers sending in army as petrol crisis escalates
- UK petrol stations run dry as trucker shortage sparks panic buying
- Tempers frayed as some drivers waited for hours for fuel on weekend
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to be considering whether to call in soldiers to deliver fuel to petrol stations as pumps ran dry after days of panic buying.
Emergency measures were triggered on Sunday evening, with Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng choosing to suspend competition laws for the fuel industry to allow suppliers to target petrol station stations running low.
Multiple reports suggested that Johnson on Monday would mull whether to follow that by taking the drastic step of sending in the army to drive oil tankers as “frenzied buying” added to fuel supply issues caused by a lack of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has refused to rule out requesting military assistance after queues for the pumps continued across the country on the weekend.
Shapps has already backed down over his reluctance to import foreign labour to solve the HGV driver shortage by creating 5,000 three-month visas to bring in extra hauliers to address delivery pressures.
The Cabinet minister told the BBC the move would fix the “100 to 200" fuel tanker driver shortfall, as he urged motorists to be “sensible” and only fill up when needed to help alleviate the queues.