Things have gone a little bit sour(dough) for the boss of the baking brand Warburtons, after old comments he made about Brexit appear to have gone stale.
In an article by Campaign in November 2016, chairman Jonathan Warburton is quoted as saying: “Brexit is a very good thing to have happened. We are well out of the rotting corpse of Europe.
“We could either continue to be in the European Union and wait for it all to collapse around us, or we could make our own way out of it and crack on as an independent nation. We decided the latter.”
However, almost five years later, after a deadly public health crisis and the ratification of the EU Withdrawal Agreement, the haulage industry is facing a severe shortage of lorry drivers.
“At the start of the pandemic, there was a shortfall of at least 76,000 HGV drivers and with the additional loss of EU workers who have returned home, the industry estimates that this number is higher than that,” Logistics UK, a business group representing logistics firms, wrote in a press release earlier this month.
Then on Monday, a spokesman for Warburtons told The Grocer that while they are “managing to maintain a good level of service” for customers nationally, “things are more challenging” at a local level.
“We, like many businesses, are experiencing higher levels of absence due to the rise in community infection rates of Covid-19 and the knock-on effect that has with more people having to self-isolate,” they said.
It’s almost as if the two things are connected, and one Twitter user has since made the comparison:
Warburton’s 2016:
— UK is with EU (@ukiswitheu) July 23, 2021
"Brexit is a very good thing to have happened. We are well out of the rotting corpse of Europe”
Warburton's July 2021:
Sorry for the shortage of bread, we don't have enough drivers to deliver bread nationwide, many have gone back to the EU
Others have since responded by suggesting a boycott of the company would help solve its driver shortage problem:
Well I’m helping them - by never buying any of their bread or other baked products for 5 years, despite the fact they’ve got a bakery about half a mile away, because of their Brexit pronouncements.
— Liz Langfield #FBPE #FBPPR💙 (@liz_langfield) July 23, 2021
I think we should all do our bit to help Warburton’s through their delivery difficulties. If we all stop buying their bread that should help them no end.
— Andy Fletcher (@TheNomadman) July 23, 2021
I’ve got an idea that will help Warburtons with their delivery issues.
— Give Your Head A Wobble 💙 (@GiveItAWobble1) July 23, 2021
Why doesn’t everyone just stop buying Warburtons bread!
Simple 😊
Don’t worry #Warburtons - I’m more than prepared to help you out by never buying any of the rubbish you produce ever again.
— Dan Johnson | British Lawyer | +44 7788 537 187 (@DanRJohnson) July 24, 2021
More chance of me imbibing in a #Neverspoons . . . https://t.co/CFy2DUGe09
I will do my best to ease @Warburtons distribution problems by not buying their products.
— ChrisCooks 🇪🇺 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 (@ChrisCooks9) July 24, 2021
If you don't buy Brexit Warburton products you solve their driver shortage problem! https://t.co/5YCqFIEO5Z
— Cecelia *💙*Seriously annoying*💕Refugees💞 🇪🇺 (@cernusson) July 24, 2021
And some made bread puns, because... of course:
Brexit clearly not the best thing since sliced bread!
— Charlie Alger (@cralger) July 23, 2021
I thought it was gonna be the best thing since sliced bread….Sorry😀
— Peter Haynes (@haynesey71) July 23, 2021
Looks like Warburton needs to have a good think about which side his bread is buttered…
Indy100 has contacted Warburtons for comment.
