Responding to the news that the Government has only received 127 visa applications from EU HGV drivers, Liberal Democrat Business Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said: “The Government’s sticking plaster solution to recruit drivers at the last minute has been exposed as a dismal failure.
“Ministers knew that their new immigration rules were worsening the HGV driver shortage for months, yet they sat on their hands and waited until it was too late. This lack of leadership has let down all those people still struggling to fill up their tank and go about their daily lives.
“The Government must urgently treat this crisis with the urgency it deserves. They need to stop branding HGV drivers and other key workers as “unskilled”, and allow them to work here for a longer period instead of sending them packing after a few months.”