Forget the fuel crisis – the commodity in shortest supply in Britain is ministerial responsibility

Editorial: Grant Shapps and his colleagues were asleep at the wheel when there was still time to plan a response to what was approaching with all the manifest force of a runaway juggernaut

The present shortage of drivers should not have come as some great shock (PA Wire)

When Grant Shapps states that there is no fuel shortage in Britain, he is making himself look and sound a little foolish.

It is true that there is plenty of oil still being imported, or pumped out of the North Sea, and more than adequate capacity in the refineries; but that is of little practical use if the fuel cannot be moved because there aren’t enough tanker drivers around – as Mr Shapps knows full well.

Are motorists who need to get their children to school or travel to work supposed to be soothed into contentment by the transport secretary assuring us that what is a problem isn’t really a problem, and that even if it is a crisis, it’s all down to Covid? Do they care that he thinks it’s not his fault?