LONDON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson
denied on Tuesday that Britain was in crisis due to a shortage
of labour or that it was facing a 1970s-style inflationary
spiral.
Johnson said that businesses had mainlined on low-wage
imported labour for nearly 25 years and that they should now pay
their workers more and invest more.
Asked by BBC radio if the United Kingdom was in crisis,
Johnson said: "no".
"What you saw in the last 20 years or more, almost 25 years,
has been an approach whereby business of many kinds, was able to
mainline low wage, low cost, immigration for a very long time,"
Johnson said.
Asked if the United Kingdom was heading for a 1970s-style
inflationary spiral, he said: "I don't think that the problem
will present itself in that way and I think actually that this
country's natural ability to sort out its logistics and supply
chains is very strong."
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton)
BP (BP.)