British troops on standby as truck driver crisis deepens, and people ‘panic-buy’ fuel

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson put British army troops "on standby" to work as truck drivers to haul fuel to gas stations where supplies have been emptied by panic buying and labor shortfalls — not to mention Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.

Supply chain disruptions and attendant shortages of goods are hitting countries around the globe, including the United States. But Britain appears on the forefront of the chaos — where recovery from the pandemic is colliding with steep labor shortages, driven by the end of free movement of workers from Eastern Europe who were handling the low-wage jobs Britons take a pass on — in nursing homes, slaughter houses and on the highways.