Has the ‘party of business’ lost its way?

Supply chain woes, labour shortage and a ruined Christmas threaten Tory competence, writes Sean O’Grady

A winter of discontent could damage Johnson’s already thinning reputation (AFP/Getty)

The Conservatives still like to style themselves as “the party of business”. Business may not agree, and there is certainly no shortage of businesspeople – including in agriculture – voicing concerns about what the prime minister calls the “stresses and strains” in the economy. Shortages of labour, disrupted global and national supply chains, and the other dislocations caused by Brexit and Covid have resulted in shortages of everything from semiconductors to turkeys. Gas prices are through the roof; petrol has been in short supply, and thousands of pigs are about to be put down. Farmers are offering £30 an hour for anyone up for picking broccoli (and presumably as much as you can eat), the army is driving petrol tankers. The sense of mounting chaos is palpable.

Cue the blame game. Business says that the government hasn’t got a plan. Government says that business hasn’t got a plan. Both say the other side of the argument should have seen Brexit coming. Maybe neither side has got a plan, which would probably explain a lot.