Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

0:00
0:00

Sunak: Ministers "doing all we can” to fix supplies for shops.

Well, this brave statement is exactly the problem and not the solution. When politicians say we're "doing all we can", it generally means - as in this case - they're doing nothing, just blowing hot air. If they were able to do something useful instead of just sweet-talking, they would find decent jobs and not disgrace themselves by spending their lives in such a shabby, low-life occupation. Sending a PR picture to the press comparing Rishi Sunak to Jesus Christ will not allow our sainted Chancellor to ascend to the next celestial level. He's still just a smarmy (if smart) politician who doesn't believe the promises he makes. Similar to Jesus: “You'll be rewarded, next life; just give me your money, this life".




In recent days, several retailers have warned of potential shortages during the Christmas shopping season.

Speaking to the BBC at the end of G7 meetings in Washington, Mr Sunak blamed global factors for delays seen at ports such as Felixstowe.

It comes as G7 finance ministers agreed to work together to address the issues.

Mr Sunak said: "I'm confident there'll be a good amount of Christmas presents available for everyone to buy."

His comments came after a container logjam at ports, including Felixstowe, and a shortage of HGV lorry drivers has sparked concerns among businesses, ahead of the most important period of the year for retail spending.

On Wednesday, the UK's largest commercial port said the supply chain crisis has caused a logjam of shipping containers.

The Port of Felixstowe, which handles 36% of the UK's freight container traffic, blamed the busy pre-Christmas period and haulage shortages.

However, it said the situation has been improving over the last few days.

Meanwhile, shipping giant Maersk told the BBC it was rerouting some of its biggest ships away from the port.

At the same time, one of biggest ports in the US will start operating 24 hours a day to try to clear long queues of cargo ships.
The Port of Los Angeles in California said it will handle more goods at night after a similar move by nearby Long Beach port.
The ports - which handle 40% of all cargo containers entering the US - have faced months of problems.

Major US firms such as Walmart and FedEx have also committed to increasing their round-the-clock operations to help clear the jam, the White House said on Wednesday.

Mr Sunak was speaking after the G7 agreed to work more closely together to monitor issues facing the movement of goods around the world.

The meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors discussed the importance of global co-operation to ensure that supply chains are more resilient as the world emerges from the pandemic.

The G7 (Group of Seven) is an organisation of the world's seven largest so-called advanced economies. They are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. Ministers and officials from the member countries hold meetings, form agreements and publish joint statements on global events.

In the BBC interview, Mr Sunak largely focused on the situation for industry in the UK - and he said he completely rejected the assertion of the head of UK Steel that the government had created a "hostile environment" for industrial investment and levelling up.

But when asked if he, as chancellor, was prepared to accept that high gas prices would put some heavy industry out of business he said he had to make sure taxpayers' money was protected and that "it's not the government's job to come in and start managing the price of every individual product".

Mr Sunak said the government would work constructively with businesses after Prime Minister Boris Johnson blamed shortages on UK firms "mainlining" migrant labour, pointing to the appointment of the former Tesco boss Sir Dave Lewis as a supply chain tsar.

However, the chancellor also said "everyone" including Mr Johnson accepts that increasing wages without increasing productivity would be inflationary.

He said the move to a high wage, high-skill economy advocated by Mr Johnson would "obviously take time".

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×