Food shortages hit UK as Brexiters and Remainers argue over who’s to blame

Food shortages have hit the UK, allegedly due to the impacts of Brexit. Remainers seem almost gleeful that they’ve been proven right. Equally, however, those who still support leaving the EU are in a state of denial.

The shortages seem to be due to a mix of weather issues, fuel, and several other factors – including Brexit. All this comes as Aldi, Asda, and Morrisons announced they were rationing vegetables.

Empty shelves

Various outlets tweeted images of empty supermarket shelves, including the Jeremy Vine show:

Is Brexit to blame for the food shortages we're seeing right now?

Supermarkets have started rationing things like tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers because of supply issues.

It's reported shelves are still ‘heaving’ in Europe, so dare we say it… Is Brexit to blame for this? pic.twitter.com/8tbGGBDfap

— Jeremy Vine & Storm Huntley on 5 (@JeremyVineOn5) February 22, 2023

CNN reporter Ika Ferrer Gotić also got in on the act, putting the shortfall squarely down to Brexit:

Empty shelves across Britain. This was all predictable, also very much predicted. Ending free-flowing EU migration, goods and services was an advertised benefit of #Brexit. And this is the result. The matter is as simple as this. No matter what they tell you. pic.twitter.com/TGX5FlXlMt

— Ika Ferrer Gotić (@IkaFerrerGotic) February 22, 2023

Farage to blame?

EU Flag Twitter seemed to be quite enthused about something new to have a go at Nigel Farage about – and fair play to them really:

Brexit consequences pic.twitter.com/bogsJt7Pdu

— Martin Davies 🇬🇧 🇫🇷 🇪🇺 🇨🇦 (@martindvz) February 23, 2023

Broadcaster Jemma Forte shared a report from Ukraine which claimed that it was easier to get tomatoes in the war-ravaged country than in the UK:

‘In Ukraine where I am now, it’s easier to get tomatoes than it is in London…’ says @CaolanRob

Watch then read incredible thread below and make no mistake – food shortages are due to Brexit & govt ineptitude pic.twitter.com/7d8FQjzUTR

— Jemma Forte (@jemmaforte) February 23, 2023

Another Twitter user reminded us how the warnings about Brexit which had largely been downplayed have repeatedly proven true:

We warned Brexit would crash the economy, cause food shortages, and risk peace in Northern Ireland.

Project Fear, they said.

We're the only G7 country still below pre-Covid levels

Supermarkets are rationing fruit and veg

And paramilitaries just shot a police officer in NI

— Russ Jones (@RussInCheshire) February 23, 2023

And a WW2 museum in Liverpool jokingly (probably) urged visitors not to eat the plastic from its displays:

This food shortage crisis has hit our Wartime street display.

Please can we remind all visitors not to eat the plastic fruit and veg.

#BrexitFoodShortages pic.twitter.com/5mGdeleQiX

— Western Approaches HQ (@WestApproaches) February 23, 2023

Brexit denials

Naturally some of the more fanatical Brexiters opted to blame the news on some sort of woke vegetable conspiracy. Shockingly for everyone, one of these was right-wing Twitter silly person Darren Grimes:

Retail chiefs tell us fruit and veg shortages are down to weather conditions in Northern Africa and Southern Europe. Yet some try to blame Brexit. Why does much of our political and media class frantically search for anti-Britain Fake News? They remain desperate to kill Brexit!

— Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) February 23, 2023

Meanwhile, agriculture minister Thérèse Coffey took to the House of Commons and, with typical dynamism, urged people to engage with the mighty British turnip:

A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about aspects of lettuce and tomatoes and similar, but I’m conscious that consumers want a year-round choice and that is what our supermarkets, food producers and growers around the world try to satisfy.

Though precisely which aspects of lettuce she meant remains unclear. Possibly the metaphysical; who can say?

Rise of the planet of the Megaherons

However, first prize must go to Twitter satirist TechnicallyRon. Ron conjured a vision we can all get behind: of Britain as a tomato-less wasteland in which gigantic mutant heron carries away our children:

The year is 2033. Brexit has been an overwhelming success. The last tomato sits in the British museum. No one has been able to afford to put on a radiator in 6 years. The sewage rivers have mutated the wildlife and megaherons carry off innocent children. We have our country back.

— TechnicallyRon (On all the platforms) (@TechnicallyRon) February 22, 2023

And I don’t know about you, but if the other option is listening to EU Flag Twitter and Darren Grimes shriek at each other on Twitter, I’ll take a lonely death in the sodden trenches of the coming Turnip Wars every time.

Featured image via Wikimedia Commons/David Smith, cropped to 770 x 403, licenced under CC BY 2.0.