| What's happening? More calls for looser immigration rules to cure the supply chain issues that hit inventories on grocery store shelves. Immigration is rising on the political agenda. While Britain's exit from the European Union was meant to help the government ratchet back the flow of workers from abroad, especially low-skilled ones, business groups are missing the staff. The Recruitment & Employment Confederation urged the U.K. to loosen immigration rules, noting headhunters are finding it difficult to find skilled staff. That echoed a call made by London Mayor Sadiq Khan as well as trucking and hospitality companies in recent weeks. Ministers have resisted those pleas, saying business needs to invest in training the millions of workers who are unemployed or on furlough. Economic Secretary John Glen said the government is looking for ways to make it easier for businesses to move internal staff to the U.K., but those rules are focused on "access to talent" instead of blue-collar workers like truck drivers.  Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen Photographer: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Europe Labor shortages and surging commodity prices are roiling U.K. supply chains so much that Parliament's Environmental, Food & Rural Affairs Committee is launching an investigation into the impact on the food industry. The Food & Drink Federation warned that Britain faces "permanent shortages" of popular items on shelves and in restaurants. That won't save jobs at Marks & Spencer. The British retailer that has upscale grocery stores will close 11 of its franchise shops in France because "long and complex export processes" post-Brexit have made it too difficult to keep shelves filled. The U.K. delayed a looming wave of post-Brexit border checks, seeking to give respite to companies already struggling with supply shortages linked to the pandemic and quitting the European Union. The prospect of an extra customs burden on food imports from the bloc that were due to start on Oct. 1 threatened further disruption in the build-up to the busy Christmas period. The new customs checks on food now won't happen before July 2022. Still, the move was criticized as handing the EU's producers a competitive advantage. Britain could unleash artificial intelligence in its post-Brexit data program. In a move that marks a break from the EU, the government is considering whether to scrap the right to a human review of any automated decision. That would cover things like online loan approvals. There would be an exception in high-risk situations, such as those that could endanger safety or fundamental rights. Andrew Bailey delivered another broadside on the EU's stance on banking regulation. The Bank of England governor says he doesn't understand how the bloc can make rules on clearinghouses, known as equivalence, work for the U.S. but not for the U.K. If the EU doesn't play ball on the issue, there's a risk of a "real threat" to financial stability," he told a Bloomberg conference on London's future. — Lizzy Burden We aim to keep you up to date on how the U.K. navigates the world after Brexit. Got tips or feedback? Email us at beyondbrexit@bloomberg.net or eburden6@bloomberg.net More people are back at their desks in the City of London than at any time since the pandemic forced the government to impose a lockdown 18 month ago. In the financial district, more than half of staff were back in their offices on Thursday, according to data compiled by Google, which tracks the locations of its users. The number of people returning has gradually ticked up in recent months, but the start of the school term is now accelerating the process. Many employers are pushing staff to come into work for at least a few days a week. You can follow us @Brexit on Twitter, and listen to Bloomberg Westminster every weekday. Share Beyond Brexit: Colleagues, friends and family can sign up here. For full EU coverage, try the Brussels Edition. You can find all of our newsletters here, but here are some we think you'd particularly enjoy: Bloomberg is also tracking the progress of coronavirus vaccines and mapping the pandemic. Sign up here for our Coronavirus Daily newsletter and here for our podcast. Subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and expert analysis. | 
Post a Comment