UK - England, Wales, N.Ireland, Scotland

[Uninformed]

Thanks for the replies.

Rhetorical question. I wonder what was done, or even planned to be done, to evacuate Afghan “staff” in the period immediately after the agreement was signed.

Apologies for the thread-Jack.

[Dave from down under]

Iirc Millers views still were popular

America first and to hell with the rest

[Uninformed]

“Church of England 'regret' over suicide of falsely accused priest”:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58326903

“The coroner addressed many concerns in her report, which she sent to the Archbishop of Canterbury, pointing out the "breadth of the systemic and individual failings that have come to light during the course of this inquest".
The Church apologised to the coroner for the delay in responding to the inquest process and "for the points at which we did not engage as effectively as we could have done".
"It is a matter of significant regret that, even following the death of Father Griffin, there were a number of lost opportunities to review learning from the handling of this case prior to the inquest," it added.”

Reputation is everything? A sad story.

[RTH10260]

Chicken, Milkshakes, Candy: Scarce in Britain’s Truck Driver Shortage
Because of Brexit and other reasons, Britain doesn’t have enough truck drivers, and that’s causing all sorts of items to go vanish from stores and restaurants.

By Eshe Nelson and Stephen Castle
Aug. 26, 2021

Across Britain, a slow-burning problem has ignited into a supply chain crisis in recent weeks as restaurants, supermarkets and food manufacturers warned customers that some popular products may be temporarily unavailable because of a shortage of truck drivers.

McDonald’s milkshakes, Nando’s chicken, Haribo sweets and supermarket milk are among the items that have become scarce in Britain over the summer. But it goes far beyond food: Nearly every industry is complaining about delivery problems. And already organizations are warning that logistics issues could upend the arrival of Christmas toys and the trimmings crucial to family holiday meals.

A long-running shortage of truck drivers has been exacerbated by a post-Brexit exodus of European Union workers. Adding to the problem are disruptions to training for new drivers because of the pandemic. And for years, the trucking industry has struggled to attract new workers to a job that has traditionally been low paid and required long, grueling hours.

“Ninety-five percent of everything we get in Britain comes on the back of a truck,” said Rod McKenzie, the director of policy at Road Haulage Association, which represents the British road transport industry, and estimates that there is a shortfall of 100,000 drivers. “So if there are not enough trucks to go around — and we’ve got reports of big companies with a hundred trucks parked up at any one time — there simply is less stuff being delivered.”


https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/26/busi ... rtage.html

[RTH10260]

I wonder how long it takes in the UK that businesses transition to lower wheight trucks that don't requires a trucker permit and don't fall under the same working regulations. Works for the delivery in the "last mile" and for low volume businesses. But increases the number of vehicles on the roads (though with the benefit of less tarmac damage to reduced wheight).

(about two decades ago a couple of legal changes induced such a transition in Switzerland)

[Foggy]

What happened to the word lorry?

[RTH10260]

What happened to the word lorry?

In my posts I use the American term cause I don't know how many lorries are on the road in the US. I guess the US truck aka 18-wheeler can be kept separate from the lorries that roam the European roads, much shorter and with wheight limits well below the US monstrosities. Now the HGV is a very British lorry - the Heavy Goods Vehicle - elsewhere known as a common lorry. I guess it point to the difference of small delivery vehicles that top out usually at 3.5 tonnes aka 7000 pounds.

[RTH10260]

UK labour crisis could last up to two years, CBI warns
Lobby group urges action on visas for foreign workers such as drivers, welders, butchers and bricklayers

Richard Partington Economics correspondent
Mon 6 Sep 2021 00.01 BST

The labour crisis could last for up to two years, Britain’s leading business lobby group has warned, as it called for ministers to take action on visas for foreign workers and stop “waiting for shortages to solve themselves”.

Amid the most severe labour crunch since the 1970s, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) launched a broadside against the government, saying the UK’s economic recovery from the winter lockdown was being undermined by a lack of skills in key positions, with mounting risks that the problem would continue for some time.

“Standing firm and waiting for shortages to solve themselves is not the way to run an economy,” said the CBI director general, Tony Danker, whose group represents 190,000 businesses with more than 7 million employees. “We need to simultaneously address short-term economic needs and long-term economic reform.”

He said the government’s ambition to make the British labour force more highly skilled and productive was right, and that businesses would train and hire more homegrown workers in time, but added that this could not be achieved overnight.

“A refusal to deploy temporary and targeted interventions to enable economic recovery is self-defeating,” said Danker.

The CBI is calling for the government’s shortage occupation list, which helps recruit workers from abroad to fill particular skills gaps, to be updated to include lorry drivers, welders, butchers and bricklayers.



https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... -cbi-warns?

[RTH10260]

crosspost ing, basis for the next port

Volunteers may be required in staffing shortfall at English care homes
‘Alarming’ drop in workers signing up, with many put off by requirement to be fully vaccinated against Covid by 11 November

Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent
Tue 24 Aug 2021 17.05 BST

An army of volunteers could be needed this winter to tackle rising staff shortages in care homes fuelled by the looming requirement for all care home workers to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus, providers have said.

As the health secretary, Sajid Javid, urged care workers to book their jabs in time to meet the 11 November deadline for all staff in registered care homes in England to be fully vaccinated, the Independent Care Group said operators could be forced to hand back contracts to councils or close care homes and relocate residents because of a staffing crisis, exacerbated by ongoing vaccine hesitancy among a minority of staff. It is leading calls for retired nurses, doctors, carers, to be trained and DBS-checked to fill vacancies in case of a feared “winter meltdown” in staff numbers.

One in five workers on the books of a care worker agency in Sheffield are declining the vaccine, according to Nicola Richards, the director of Palms Row Healthcare. She also reported an “alarming” drop in the number of workers signing up, with many put off by the “no jab, no job” policy. She has been unable to provide temporary staff to some clients in recent weeks.

The government last month calculated that in a worst-case scenario as many as 68,000 care workers – up to 12% – could be lost as a result of the decision to make vaccination a condition of employment in care homes. A more likely prediction is 40,000, but care managers say that even small numbers of people refusing the vaccine will impact services because rotas are already threadbare, with well over 100,000 vacancies in the sector.


https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... in-workers

[RTH10260]

Universal credit cut adds to care workers’ woes
Arthi Nachiappan
Monday September 06 2021, 12.00pm BST, The Times

The sector faces staffing shortages and low rates of vaccinations against the coronavirus

Care workers will be among the worst hit by cuts to universal credit next month as the sector reels from staff shortages, research has found.

Because of the cut of £20 a week from the end of the month, care workers receiving universal credit payments stand to earn £1,773 less a year than a decade ago despite the rising cost of food and rent, according to the analysis commissioned by the charity Action for Children.

The sector faces a growing staffing crisis which operators have warned could result in 170,000 vacancies by the end of the year, about 10 per cent of the workforce.

The rate of full coronavirus vaccination among care home staff is slowing, with 87,000 in England yet to have both doses,




paywall https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/univ ... -crtwgs5k8

Universal Credit is the UKs financial social (socialist, commie) support.

► Show Spoiler

What Universal Credit is

Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs. It’s paid monthly - or twice a month for some people in Scotland.

You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income, out of work or you cannot work.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

If you live in Northern Ireland, go to Universal Credit in Northern Ireland.

If you already get other benefits
Universal Credit is replacing the following benefits:

• Child Tax Credit
  Housing Benefit
  Income Support
  income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  Working Tax Credit

If you currently get any of these benefits, you do not need to do anything unless:

you have a change of circumstances you need to report

the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) contacts you about moving to Universal Credit

If you get tax credits, they will stop when you or your partner applies for Universal Credit. Check how tax credits and Universal Credit affect each other.

from https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit

[RTH10260]

Migrant crisis: Record number tried to cross Channel to UK today, say witnesses
It is thought to be the highest daily number, surpassing the previous record of 828 migrants on 21 August.

Monday 6 September 2021 21:35, UK

A record number of migrants have attempted to cross the English Channel today, according to witnesses.

It's thought at least 1,000 men, women and children were spotted making the journey from France to the UK.

The Home Office has put the figure at lower than that but cannot yet say whether the record was broken.

The previous high of 828 migrants was reached 21 August.

It is understood the number may be down to the fine weather after weeks of unsettled conditions.

Lifeboat teams have been bringing groups of migrants ashore, including a baby and several young children, following a day which saw the first people escorted to safety from the Channel to Dover in more than a fortnight.

Eyewitnesses have described authorities including Border Force and the RNLI as appearing to be very busy as a steady stream of crossings was thought to be under way on calm waters and under warm, sunny skies.


https://news.sky.com/story/migrant-cris ... s-12400617

[RTH10260]

I guess that's the replacement work force Boris Johnson is waiting for to compensate missing EU workers

[Azastan]

I guess that's the replacement work force Boris Johnson is waiting for to compensate missing EU workers

Apparently.

They'd better come in faster than that, though.

[RTH10260]

GP staff facing abuse from patients over cancelled blood tests
Cancellation of all but clinically urgent blood tests in England owing to shortage of bottles sparks anger

Denis Campbell Health policy editor
Mon 6 Sep 2021 17.48 BST

GP surgery staff are facing abuse from patients who are “angry and upset” that their blood test has been cancelled because of the NHS-wide chronic shortage of sample bottles.

“Patients are angry when we ring them up and say, ‘Sorry we can’t do your blood test after all’. A lot of people are quite angry and concerned about their own health,” Dr David Wrigley, the deputy chair of council at the British Medical Association, said.

“Patients are quite rightly upset and some get quite aggressive as well. They are worried because they don’t know what the implications of their cancelled test are for their health.”
https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... lood-tests




https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... lood-tests

[RTH10260]

while engaged in turning around one dingy tens can pass safely to UK shores

Priti Patel to send boats carrying migrants to UK back across Channel
Border Force is being trained on ‘turn-around’ tactics but France warns plan could endanger lives

Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor
Thu 9 Sep 2021 00.00 BST

Priti Patel is preparing to send back small boats carrying migrants in the Channel despite warnings from the French authorities that it could endanger lives.

Border Force staff are being trained to employ “turn-around” tactics at sea under plans developed for two years, a statement from the Home Office said.

It would allow UK officers to force small boats back into French waters. It is unclear if the proposals would include taking migrants back to French shores.

The proposals have already been rejected by the French government. A letter released on Wednesday showed they could not be accepted by the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, on the grounds that “safeguarding human lives at sea takes priority over considerations of nationality, status and migratory policy”.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, by Border Force.
Patel hints Afghans crossing Channel will be treated same as other migrants
Read more
He has warned the UK that employing such tactics “would risk having a negative impact on our cooperation”.

The tactics will be used, the Home Office has said, with the intention of redirecting migrant vessels away from UK waters and back towards France.

Training, which is weather dependent, is due to conclude this month, with use of the tactics ready to deploy as soon as practical and safe.

Border Force has informed ministers they will only be able to deploy the tactics, which have been developed in consultation with maritime experts, when they deem it safe to do so.


https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... ss-channel

[Azastan]

while engaged in turning around one dingy tens can pass safely to UK shores

Priti Patel to send boats carrying migrants to UK back across Channel
Border Force is being trained on ‘turn-around’ tactics but France warns plan could endanger lives

Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor
Thu 9 Sep 2021 00.00 BST

Priti Patel is preparing to send back small boats carrying migrants in the Channel despite warnings from the French authorities that it could endanger lives.

Border Force staff are being trained to employ “turn-around” tactics at sea under plans developed for two years, a statement from the Home Office said.

It would allow UK officers to force small boats back into French waters. It is unclear if the proposals would include taking migrants back to French shores.

The proposals have already been rejected by the French government. A letter released on Wednesday showed they could not be accepted by the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, on the grounds that “safeguarding human lives at sea takes priority over considerations of nationality, status and migratory policy”.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, by Border Force.
Patel hints Afghans crossing Channel will be treated same as other migrants
Read more
He has warned the UK that employing such tactics “would risk having a negative impact on our cooperation”.

The tactics will be used, the Home Office has said, with the intention of redirecting migrant vessels away from UK waters and back towards France.

Training, which is weather dependent, is due to conclude this month, with use of the tactics ready to deploy as soon as practical and safe.

Border Force has informed ministers they will only be able to deploy the tactics, which have been developed in consultation with maritime experts, when they deem it safe to do so.


https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... ss-channel

Coming up on winter, so I don't know how much longer it would be 'safe to do so'.

[RTH10260]

could be any GOPer

Universal Credit: Anger as Therese Coffey tells claimants to ‘work extra hours’ to make up for £20 a week cut
The Work and Pension Secretary has been accused of not knowing how Universal Credit works

By Emily Ferguson
September 13, 2021 11:15 am(Updated 1:50 pm)

Therese Coffey has been heavily criticised for her defence of the Government’s plans to scrap the £20 uplift of Universal Credit at the end of the month, telling claimants they can make up the difference by working an extra two hours a week.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said she was “entirely happy” with cutting the benefit by £20 a week for over six million people and suggested hard-up claimants could simply make up the loss by working longer hours.

Ms Coffey told BBC Breakfast: “I’m conscious that £20 a week is about two hours’ extra work every week – we will be seeing what we can do to help people perhaps secure those extra hours, but ideally also to make sure they’re also in a place to get better paid jobs as well.”


https://inews.co.uk/news/universal-cred ... ut-1196211

[RTH10260]

Food shortages ‘permanent’ and shoppers will never again enjoy full choice of items, Britons warned
Covid and Brexit have killed off ‘just-in-time’ deliveries, says industry boss – but No 10 insists Christmas will be ‘normal’

Rob Merrick, Holly Bancroft
2 days ago

UK supermarket shortages will be permanent, trade body says

Food shortages in supermarkets and restaurants are “permanent” and shoppers will never again enjoy a full choice of items, an industry boss has told Britons.

In an extraordinary warning, the head of the Food and Drink Federation said staff shortages – triggered by a combination of Covid and Brexit – had killed off the “just-in-time” delivery model.

“I don’t think it will work again, I think we will see we are now in for permanent shortages,” Ian Wright said.

But Downing Street rejected the claim of a broken system and, in a potential hostage to fortune, predicted the shortages will be over by the festive season.

Pressed on whether the shortages will ease to allow people to enjoy a “normal Christmas”, Boris Johnson’s spokesman told The Independent: “I believe so, yes.”

The clash came as the government rebuffs calls to loosen post-Brexit immigration rules – to attract more HGV drivers, for example – insisting businesses must stop relying on EU workers.

But the hit to trade from leaving the EU and the pandemic was laid bare by new figures revealing trade with the bloc plunged in July, with exports £1.7bn lower than in July 2018 and imports down £3bn.


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/busi ... 17763.html

[RTH10260]

[tek]

Pressed on whether the shortages will ease to allow people to enjoy a “normal Christmas”, Boris Johnson’s spokesman told The Independent: “I believe so, yes.”

Well THAT'S certainly a reliable source!
Might as well quote Larry Kudlow.

[RTH10260]

ought to be a gold mine for the workforce

UK job vacancies hit record high of 1m as payrolls rebound to pre-Covid levels
Hotels, pubs and restaurants among those with biggest problems recruiting staff

Richard Partington Economics correspondent
Tue 14 Sep 2021 11.41 BST

Employers scrambling to hire staff amid widespread labour shortages after lockdown helped to return the number of workers on company payrolls to pre-pandemic levels in August, official figures show.

The Office for National Statistics said the number of payroll employees increased by 241,000 to 29.1 million in August, lifting employment in all regions of the UK to pre-Covid levels except in London, Scotland and south-east England.

It came as the number of job vacancies soared to more than 1m in August for the first time since official records began in 2001, rising by 35% in the space of three months across all sectors of the British economy.

UK payrolls return to pre-pandemic levels, with vacancies at record – business live
Read more
Reflecting difficulty hiring staff after lockdown for a wide range of businesses across Britain, the ONS said the largest increase was in accommodation and food services – the sector which includes hotels, pubs and restaurants – with a 75% increase over the past three months.



https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ants-staff

[RTH10260]

The Massacre

Reshuffle reveals the shallowness of the Tory gene pool of talent
PM prizes uselessness above all with new jobs for the likes of Truss, Gove and Dorries

John Crace
Wed 15 Sep 2021 22.31 BST

Things were even worse than they seemed. Liz Truss was looking positively chipper on the frontbench ahead of prime minister’s questions. Someone in No 10 had told her she was in line for a promotion in the imminent reshuffle. Uselessness was clearly a highly prized commodity in a Boris Johnson government. No one could cut and paste an existing trade deal and rebrand it as a new one quite like Truss. Not least because she genuinely believed she had achieved something remarkable.

Priti Patel initially wasn’t looking quite so relaxed. But that was because she had taken Boris’s description of the Home Office turning the UK into the “Saudi Arabia of penal policy” as a sign the prime minister thought she was going soft on crime. It had taken some persuading from Rishi Sunak, who was sitting beside her, that Boris had actually intended the remarks as a compliment. “You’ll be fine,” the chancellor had said. “You can’t be any dimmer than the health secretary who thinks you can’t get Covid off your friends and the prime minister really values the fact that you are as vicious as you are useless.”

It was the absences that were most telling. No Gavin “Private Pike” Williamson. No Robert “Honest Bob” Jenrick. No Dominic “Psycho” Raab. Telling Gavin to “go away and shut up” had proved rather more difficult than Boris had expected. Principally because Williamson had taken some convincing that he had been education secretary in the first place. Johnson had had to run through his achievements – his “transformational reforms” – in making everything with which he came in contact incomparably worse.

“So, you’re sacking me,” Gav had said eventually, before bursting into tears. “But what about all I did to help you become leader of the Tory party? Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“You’re even stupider than I thought you were,” Johnson replied. “The one thing everybody knows about me is that I invariably let people down. So surely you must have been expecting to get fired.”


https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -reshuffle

[RTH10260]

details in the article

Who is on the move in Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle?
What we know so far about who is in and who is out of key positions in the UK government

Heather Stewart Political editor
Wed 15 Sep 2021 20.08 BST

A reshuffle of Boris Johnson’s cabinet is under way. Here’s what we know so far of who is in and out of key positions.


https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -reshuffle

[RTH10260]

Fire shuts one of UK’s most important power cables in midst of supply crunch
Coal plants being warmed up as market prices surge to £2,500 per MWh from a norm of £40

Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent
Wed 15 Sep 2021 17.43 BST

A major fire has forced the shutdown of one of Britain’s most important power cables importing electricity from France as the UK faces a supply crunch and record high market prices.

National Grid was forced to evacuate staff from the site of the IFA high-voltage power cable, which brings electricity from France to a converter station in Kent, where 12 fire engines attended the blaze in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The fire has halted electricity imports via the 2,000 megawatt power cable until March next year and could not have come at a worse time for the UK’s squeezed markets, according to experts. The UK faces record energy prices after a global gas market surge raised the cost of running gas power plants, which has been compounded by a string of power plant outages and low wind speeds.

The all-time energy price highs are expected to send bills soaring for the next year and cause a string of small energy companies to go bust. It has already forced some steelmakers to shut their factories during hours of peak electricity demand.

The market price at one of the UK’s main electricity auctions cleared at a record price of £2,500 per megawatt-hour for the hours of peak demand on Wednesday, compared with a typical baseload price of about £40/MWh throughout 2019 and 2020.



https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ply-crunch

[RTH10260]

Energy prices rise 19% after fire and maintenance of key power cables in Kent. have switched off
September 16, 2021 Business

Wholesale electricity prices rose after a fire at a Kent power station, which sparked fears that it could spike energy bills for UK households.

National Grid has warned that the fire damaged a large power cable that was in use until Jan.

Natural gas rose by up to 18 percent to 189 pence per Therm after the fire at the interconnector that connects the UK and French power grids. Meanwhile, UK electricity prices rose 19 percent to £ 475 per megawatt hour (MWh).

Downing Street said it recognized that rising electricity prices represented a “challenging time” for consumers and businesses. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We are fully aware that this is a challenging time.




https://newsbeezer.com/uk/energy-prices ... tched-off/

The fire occurred early yesterday morning at Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) in Sellindge, Kent.

The fire damaged a pipeline that runs under the English Channel, the National Grid said in a statement.

Note: consumers who have contracts following the spot market prices and often get low quotes are now crunched.