What caused the fuel crisis in the UK?
What are the psychological effects of the fuel crisis in the UK?
What is the role of Brexit and the post-Brexit environment on the fuel crisis in the UK?
Is the lack of truck drivers related to the fuel crisis in the UK?
New forecasts show that typical annual energy bills may exceed £5,000 in January and £6,700 in April, signalling an unprecedented fuel crisis in the UK.
The challenge of fuel poverty in the UK
The latest studies of the University of York inform about the UK fuel crisis; It announced that 58% of Britons would face energy and fuel poverty next year. Simon Francis, Co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, which represents more than 60 charities and local authorities, said: “Today’s Ofgem price hike is like a dagger to the hearts of millions of people up and down the country.” He added: “As a result of the decision, parents will be unable to feed their children, the sick and elderly will be condemned to worsening health, disabled people will go without vital medical equipment and households will be forced into poverty for the first time in generations.”
Campaign for a warm winter
“Warm This Winter” is the name of a new campaign created by the fuel crisis in the UK. Dozens of NGOs support this campaign. The campaign has recently launched a petition online calling for immediate government action to help people deal with paying their energy carriers. In this regard, another campaign called “Don’t pay the UK” has been established. This campaign also wants the British to boycott paying their energy bills from October.
The destructive psychological effects of the energy crisis
The government office for monitoring the British energy market says that the cost of energy consumed by British citizens will face an 80% increase from October this year. Currently, each British household pays nearly 1971 pounds per year for energy consumption, reaching 3549 pounds per year from October. Publishing the news of the fuel crisis in the UK during the 10% inflation crisis that British citizens are witnessing after decades can have psychologically destructive effects on society.
The lack of truck drivers is the cause of the energy crisis
The leaders of London believe that the lack of truck drivers causes the continuation of the fuel crisis in the UK. Still, government critics say that these problems are due to Brexit and the separation of the UK from the EU, and the fuel crisis is only the tip of the iceberg of challenges. Recently, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) announced that the country is facing a shortage of about 100,000 drivers. The reasons for the departure of drivers from this industry are Brexit and Covid-19, which has stopped trial driving education for a year.
Fights at crowded gas stations
For several months, the UK has been experiencing a fuel crisis, and the lack of fuel and its social and political consequences have become one of the most critical topics in the world’s media. In this regard, pictures of crowded gas stations with long queues and clashes attracted much attention. Although this incident was unexpected for many, fuel supply companies such as the British Petroleum Company (BP) had already publicized their problems in this field.
Severe lack of fuel for two thousand seats
Even though several months have passed since the fuel crisis in the UK and the claims of the country’s authorities that it has ended, the available evidence and documents show the continuation of this crisis and the shortage of gasoline and diesel in London and the southeast of this country. In this connection, Brian Madderson, the head of the British Gasoline Retailers Association, believes that more than two thousand gas stations are still facing a severe fuel shortage.
The fuel crisis is a consequence of post-Brexit
From the point of view of observers of British affairs, this country has faced many problems in the post-Brexit years, including the crisis of workforce, food, investment, etc., of which the fuel crisis in the UK is only one of these. Surveys also show that the withdrawal of the UK from the EU has made many truck drivers in the EU prefer to go to other countries instead of transporting goods to the UK.
Fuel crisis and ongoing problems
Even now, the administrative procedures at the border after Brexit have made them reluctant to enter and exit the UK. The problem was initially the empty shelves of supermarkets. Then the Nando‘s restaurant chain closed 50 of its branches due to a lack of chicken, and now gas stations in the UK are in chaos. The main signs of this crisis are the lack of 100 thousand truck drivers and people’s fear of waiting more than two hours at fuel stations.
The causes of the shortage of truck drivers in the UK
A combination of Brexit and Covid-19 has exacerbated this crisis. The RHA said in a summer report that long periods of quarantine and travel restrictions had caused many foreign drivers to leave the country. The non-holding of heavy vehicle driving tests in most of 2020 led to a drop of more than 30,000 in the tests. Also, according to the RHA’s estimate, 20,000 truck drivers left the UK during the UK’s exit from the EU. Most of them have not returned.
Poor performance of the British government
The UK is not the only country with a shortage of truck drivers, but its poor performance in meeting its fuel needs is probably unique worldwide. In the past days, the lack of fuel caused British people to queue for hours at gas stations. The supply chain of this country, which was under the pressure of Brexit and Covid-19, was put under double pressure due to people’s panic about buying and queuing. In some gas stations, the British government considered restrictions for filling the tanks of cars. In some stations, police officers have been forced to be present, and the government has alerted the army to help solve the problem.
In the current situation of the UK, we see many problems, including the fuel crisis. This crisis will make many people face terrible choices between skipping meals to heat their homes and living in cold, wet and very unpleasant conditions, which can cause the spread of respiratory diseases. Psychological problems reduce the life chances of children and increase pressure on the NHS.
