Big business tried to block Brexit instead of getting ready for it – Telegraph.co.uk

Similarly, Britain has been suffering from a shortage of HGV drivers for years. Why did no one in Whitehall act to deal with a backlog of tests? The same could be said about the wider skills gap. Thats not a new phenomenon either.

But there seems to be a reflex among big business to scream for help at the first opportunity, hardly a surprise perhaps after the pandemic bailout. The scale of government spending intended to prevent mass unemployment, hardship and the collapse of companies big and small was unlike anything this country has experienced before.

It is striking how quickly many bosses have got used to leaning on the state, and are struggling to wean themselves off support. They need to learn to stand on their own two feet again.

We are talking about some of the biggest companies in the world, organisations with the financial firepower, the brains, and the reach to shape their own destiny not vulnerable sole traders. If Tesco can manage its way through a crisis like this then so can others.

The number of containers of fresh produce being transported by rail from Spain was ramped up to 90,000 from 65,000, 15,000 extra seasonal staff brought in, and 10pc more turkeys ordered. Murphy boasts that Tesco has planned to within an inch of our lives, but this is pretty basic stuff.

With more foresight and planning, companies could have seen some of this coming too. True, the Government should have been better prepared for the drop in foreign workers and the impact that would have but the same could be said of major multinationals that have become too reliant on cheap overseas labour.

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Big business tried to block Brexit instead of getting ready for it - Telegraph.co.uk