Alcoholic drinks companies have issued fresh warnings that the Christmas supply of wine, spirits and beer could be disrupted, after the government refused to provide an update on efforts to resolve the shortage of HGV drivers.
In an exchange in the Commons, the trade minister Ranil Jayawardena said he was “not going to provide a running commentary on numbers”, after being asked how many of 5,000 temporary visas earmarked for non-UK drivers had been issued.
The shadow trade minister Bill Esterson described Jayawardena’s refusal to provide an update as “extraordinary” and said the government was in danger of “cancelling Christmas celebrations”.
The Labour MP cited a letter last week to the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, in which 48 firms
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