*HGV drivers: Chronic shortage stifles our economy *
*Responding to the latest ONS figures on HGV driver vacancies, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Transport Sarah Olney MP said: *
“These figures reveal the chronic shortage of HGV drivers that is stifling our economy, and the government’s utter failure to address it.
“We are seeing supermarket shelves going empty and shops warning of shortages of toys at Christmas.
“But still Conservative ministers are refusing to drop their damaging rules which make it hard to recruit HGV drivers from abroad.
“Handing out temporary visas for a few months is not going to solve this issue. If Boris Johnson really wants to save Christmas, he should allow businesses to permanently recruit the skilled staff from abroad that they need.”