London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

UK minister attempts to stave off Christmas panic buying after concerns about nation’s biggest container port becoming gridlocked

UK minister attempts to stave off Christmas panic buying after concerns about nation’s biggest container port becoming gridlocked

Tory Party co-chair Oliver Dowden said on Wednesday that the backlog at the UK port of Felixstowe is “improving” after shipping companies complained the ongoing HGV driver shortage meant they couldn’t land containers.
Speaking to Sky News, Dowden accepted that the country is currently facing a “challenging problem” due to the shortage of HGV drivers, but sought to reassure citizens that there is no need to start panic buying ahead of Christmas, as the gridlock is “improving.”

Dowden’s remarks came after shipping giant Maersk stated that it had been forced to reroute vessels from Felixstowe to other European ports due to the number of containers stuck at the port following the recent supply chain crisis.

Speaking to BBC’s Radio 5 Live, Maersk’s head of global ocean network Lars Mikael Jensen said that a number of the company’s 20,000 container-bearing ships were stuck waiting for between four to seven days outside Felixstowe. Instead of “wasting time waiting” any longer, Maersk diverted the vessels to other stops.

The container backlog at Felixstowe has been growing for the past two weeks, limiting the number of vessels able to dock at one point to one in three, compared with other European ports. It comes amid logistical problems across the UK that have seen fuel stations run dry and shop shelves empty, as deliveries have been hampered by the shortage of HGV lorry drivers.

Industry experts have estimated that there is currently a shortage of around 100,000 delivery drivers in the UK, forcing the government to recently introduce temporary measures to plug labour issues, offering temporary visas to foreign workers and drafting in the military to transport goods.

Felixstowe is crucial to the UK, handling around 40% of container traffic arriving into the country, meaning that current disruptions at the port could hit the crucial import pre-Christmas delivery period.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×