Soldiers will start delivering fuel to petrol stations from Saturday as ministers seek to gain control over the ongoing fuel supply crisis, i can reveal.
Senior government sources confirmed that the Army will begin transporting fuel to station forecourts after it became clear that the situation was improving too slowly.
The decision comes after a week of major disruption that has seen motorists forced to queue for hours to fill up their vehicles.
Whitehall sources said troops have been training with haulage firms for the past few days, learning how to fill up tankers and petrol pumps.
Ministers have now decided to press ahead with plans to mobilise 150 military personnel who can drive fuel tankers to parts of the country that need it most.
A senior government source told i the Army vehicles would hit the road from Saturday.
The Government has attempted to play down the ongoing shortage in fuel supplies, repeatedly claiming that the situation was “stablising”.
But while the overall picture has improved significantly from last week, vast swathes of the country are still seeing acute shortages in petrol and diesel.
Earlier in the day, policing minister Kit Malthouse admitted the disruption being seen across the country could continue for “another week or so”.
It meant Downing St was given little choice but to give the order to mobilise troops.
The decision is still a major embarrassment for Boris Johnson, who was forced to give the order on deploying the Army on the eve of the Conservative Party Conference.
It also came after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called on the Government to utilise the Army to help petrol station “in areas of the country most in need now”.
“The Prime Minister should be taking emergency action today but yet again he’s failed to grasp the seriousness of the crisis. If it needs legislation, then let’s recall Parliament to get these emergency measures through urgently,” Sir Keir said.
According to officials, London and the South East is seeing the most acute shortages, while vast swathes of the Midlands and the North West are also facing supply issues.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidGh0dHBzOi8vaW5ld3MuY28udWsvbmV3cy9wb2xpdGljcy9wZXRyb2wtc2hvcnRhZ2UtYnJpdGlzaC1hcm15LWRlbGl2ZXItZnVlbC1zdGF0aW9uLWZvcmVjb3VydHMtY3Jpc2lzLWxhdGVzdC0xMjI4MzUw0gF4aHR0cHM6Ly9pbmV3cy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3BvbGl0aWNzL3BldHJvbC1zaG9ydGFnZS1icml0aXNoLWFybXktZGVsaXZlci1mdWVsLXN0YXRpb24tZm9yZWNvdXJ0cy1jcmlzaXMtbGF0ZXN0LTEyMjgzNTAvYW1w?oc=5
2021-10-01 15:27:00Z
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