Grinding to a halt

The PM has gone on holiday.

Again.

He has gone to the Costa to say at Zac Goldsmith's villa, the same Goldsmith Johnson enobled.

We still don't know who paid for his last holiday, or what they got in return.

Once upon a time, PMs used to return from holiday when there was a crisis, now they just go in the middle of one. Or more than one.

The fuel crisis seems to have calmed down, for now, as the is some fuel in most places we passed on Saturday. But it will take just another mis-spoken comment from a Minister to get people panic buying.

Meanwhile many industries that use a lot of energy; steel, ceramics, are expected to close as soon as tis week as the energy they use becomes too expensive.

The Business Mnister says he is on contact with the Treasury about support, but the Treasury has briefed multiple papers denying this. So, two Government departments are accusing each other of lying.

In no way is this normal.

At the Conservative Party conference last week, Johnson used the 127 figure for EU HGV drivers willing to return to work in the UK up to the end of March, but the official figure is just 27, and no one can explain the dfference. Unless Johnson was lying or making things up.

Meanwhile container ports are nearing the critical 85% capacity limit, beyond which it means there isn't enough space to move stock around to ship goods around the country. Some are already refusing new shipments.

Again, this is not normal.

The Government is still in denial about what the cause of the shortages is. And although most is not all down to Brexit, Brexit has not improved one of them.

At half one Sunday Morning, Lord Frost tweeted a series of statements regarding the NIP and how unworkable it is and changes need to be made, and some changes the EU suggested could work, which were made last week, have been rejected. This is the NIP that Frost under instruction from Johnson negotiated and agreed with the EU.

This will be a critical week in Brexit, but I know I've said that before. But there is only so much can-kicking that can be done. A trade war with the EU will be in no one's interest, but there is no doubt that it would hurt the UK more.