McDonald’s runs out of milkshakes and bottled drinks due to supply chain disruption

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Our figures show that 94 per cent of hospitality businesses are experiencing problems, with about two-thirds of those saying some goods simply don’t arrive, thereby reducing the menu they can offer customers and severely undermining sales.” This week, lobby groups for the retail and transport industries wrote to the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, warning that the UK’s lorry driver shortage could cause serious problems for their supply chains. Logistics UK, which represents freight firms, and the British Retail Consortium, said that a shortfall of about 90,000 HGV drivers “is placing increasingly unsustainable pressure on retailers and their supply chains.” They added: “While there was a shortage of HGV drivers prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, these two events have exacerbated the situation. The pandemic halted driving training and testing for over 12 months, while an estimated 25,000 EU drivers returned home during the pandemic and following the end of the transition period.” Speaking about the shortage, Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “We are calling on the government to rapidly increase the number of HGV driving tests taking place, provide temporary visas for EU drivers, and to make changes on how HGV driver training can be funded.” Last week, Nando’s was forced to temporarily close around 50 restaurants after suffering chicken shortages. He said: “I think we’re going to see more and more,” adding: “It’s certainly Brexit-related, but it’s also the immigration decisions our politicians are making since Brexit.” A government spokesperson said on Friday that, “We recently announced a package of measures to help tackle the HGV driver shortage, including plans to streamline the process for new drivers to gain their HGV licence and to increase the number of tests able to be conducted,” according to the BBC.