The UK Government announced on Monday that it will temporarily exempt the fuel industry from competition laws in response to the fuel crisis causing shortages across the country.

Over the past week, a lack of delivery drivers interrupted the supply chain and caused mass petrol shortages. While the shortages were not due to an overall lack of petrol,  the shortages at filling stations caused panic amongst the population.

In response, Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced a temporary relaxation of the Competition Act 1998 called the Downstream Oil Protocol. The easing of these laws for the fuel industry will permit information to be shared more easily, ensuring that shortages can be identified quickly and fuel can be delivered to areas with the greatest shortages.  The Government claims that the  Downstream Oil Protocol will allow it to fix issues throughout the fuel supply chain (including suppliers, producers and retailers) and reduce the disruption caused by the fuel shortage. The British Army is also on standby to deliver fuel this week to respond to the shortage, according to Business Secretary Kwarteng. Additionally, Kwarteng suggested that the general public need not race to buy gas, as the petrol supply is not an issue.

The Government will introduce measures to increase visas and heavy goods vehicle (HGV) training with the goal of increasing the number of drivers by 3,000.