London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Boris Johnson puts army on standby amid fuel supply crisis

Boris Johnson puts army on standby amid fuel supply crisis

Keir Starmer and industry leaders call on PM to do more as ministers decide against immediate deployment of troops
Boris Johnson has ordered the army to remain on standby to help fuel reach petrol stations hit by panic buying, as Keir Starmer and businesses called on him to get a grip on the shortages rippling across the economy.

No 10 said army drivers would be ready to help deliver petrol and diesel on a short-term basis, but stopped short of an immediate deployment, even though some essential workers have not been able to carry out their jobs without fuel.

The decision was taken at a meeting of cabinet ministers on Monday, as the industry said consumer panic – rather than real shortages – was the main driver of the problems, and predicted that it would ease within days.

People continued to queue at fuel stations in spite of government warnings that drivers trying to top up were making the situation worse.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, said it was right for the government to take “sensible, precautionary steps”.

“The UK continues to have strong supplies of fuel. However, we are aware of supply chain issues at fuel station forecourts and are taking steps to ease these as a matter of priority,” he said. “If required, the deployment of military personnel will provide the supply chain with additional capacity as a temporary measure to help ease pressures caused by spikes in localised demand for fuel.”

The government also authorised an extension to licences for fuel tankers, automatically renewing them without refresher training.

A joint statement from the fuel industry, released by the government, said companies expect the situation to ease in the coming days because many cars are now holding more fuel than usual.

The companies, including BP, Shell and Esso, said there was “plenty of fuel at UK refineries and terminals, and as an industry we are working closely with the government to help ensure fuel is available to be delivered to stations across the country”.

No 10 and ministers did discuss a plan for more immediate deployment of military drivers, but decided to hold off for now. The Ministry of Defence was sent a military aid to civil authority request to ensure that about 100 troops would be ready for action.

The Labour leader accused Johnson of having allowed the situation to “spiral out of control, despite months of warnings from industry”.

“The consequences of Boris Johnson’s failure to prepare or plan are being felt across our country,” Starmer said. “The government must now bring together businesses and trade unions to develop a proper plan, both for the immediate crisis, as well as to tackle the long-term issues that have led us here.”

Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said the government should already have had troops on standby, as he did as energy secretary when the threat of a fuel shortage loomed in 2012.

“Someone in government needs to explain their incompetence and there must be a case for someone to resign – whether it’s transport secretary Grant Shapps, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, or someone in the MoD. But this is shockingly bad government,” he added.

The CBI called on the government to do more to anticipate wider problems with shortages that are likely to carry on hitting the economy while labour shortages continue.

Tony Danker, director general of the business body, said: “There are labour shortages across the economy, and of course, the government is right that in the long run, we can’t simply turn to immigration to solve those problems. But in the short run, there is no solution, other than to look that way.”

Pump prices for fuel in the UK have reached their highest level in eight years as petrol stations run dry amid panic buying, with a further jump expected as wholesale energy costs continue to surge. Figures from the RAC showed that the average price of a litre of petrol rose from 135.9p on Friday to 136.6p on Sunday, the highest level since September 2013.

As queues continued to form at forecourts on Monday after a chaotic weekend, the AA warned that prices could rise further this autumn as the global oil price soars to its highest level in three years.

Hoyer, which delivers petrol for BP, said it had 50 vacancies in its fuel fleet of about 1,200 vehicles, and called on motorists to stop panic buying. Meanwhile, surplus goods firm Wholesale Clearance UK said it had sold out of jerry cans over the weekend as motorists stockpiled fuel.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×