Maajid Nawaz clashes with caller 'pinning' HGV driver shortage on Brexit

24 September 2021, 18:24

Maajid Nawaz clash with caller on cause of lorry driver shortage

By Tim Dodd

This was Maajid Nawaz's explosive clash with this caller who suggested the shortage of lorry drivers is mainly because of Brexit.

It comes as the armed forces could be tasked to help drive lorries in the UK following a global shortage of HGV drivers which is leaving petrol pumps dry and shelves stripped bare.

Tim in Leatherhead said: "I don't disagree with you that this whole problem has been caused by [many] things simultaneously.

"In your list of half a dozen things, there is only one that we as a country, on our own free will, voted for. We didn't vote for Covid, we didn't vote for IR35, we didn't vote for people to retire."

Maajid responded: "Let's be fair, those who voted Brexit wanted wages to go up and they wanted the global supply of labour to stop because they didn't like globalism, and they wanted the domestic labour force to be offered the jobs that were previously being offered to, say, Europeans.

'We have to look at all these factors as they combine.'

"People that voted Brexit didn't know that the pandemic was then going to hit, and the furlough scheme would've kicked off, and then we would've started printing money to pay for furlough, which could've caused 4% inflation. Let's be fair Tim."

Maajid continued: "You can't disparage and look down on people in that way. You're trying to pin the problem that we're currently in on Brexit voters.

"This desperation to blame this on Brexit voters - just get over it man, get over it, seriously!"