Boris Johnson’s Next Big Make-or-Break Crisis Is Gas
Fuel shortages and empty shelves are becoming a major challenge for the U.K. government. Short-term fixes won’t be enough.
A political problem.
Photographer: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images EuropeIt’s not a good sign when government ministers shout on Twitter, “THERE IS NO FUEL SHORTAGE.” That’s like telling people “Do not imagine an elephant.”
In this case, not much is left to the imagination. The U.K. is panicking about fuel. Up to 90% of pumps in major British cities have reportedly run dry, and the British army is on standby to drive trucks to transport gas. The country’s competition law (which protects consumers from predatory high prices) has been suspended so that fuel deliveries can be coordinated to meet demand, and the government is in talks to keep the country’s second biggest oil refinery from collapse.