Seema Malhotra – 2021 Comments on Supply Chain Chaos

The comments made by Seema Malhotra, the Shadow Minister for Business and Consumers, on 26 August 2021.

The chaos hitting supply chains is of the Conservatives’ making. Their failure to keep their promise to cut red tape for businesses, which are struggling with more paperwork and higher costs, combined with worker shortages, has created a perfect storm.

Whether it’s production grinding to a halt in our car factories, shelves emptying in supermarkets, or restaurants running out of food and drink, businesses are ringing the alarm and saying these problems are only going to get worse.

Ministers must listen to businesses and unions who are calling for them to show leadership and put in place short-term solutions to deal with this acute crisis. But they must also end their chronic dismissal of these concerns, having accused the industry of ‘crying wolf’ over driver shortages, and take action to deliver on the promise of post-Brexit Britain.