Brexit To Blame For Staffing Problems, Says EasyJet Boss

The boss of Britain's biggest budget airline has contradicted a minister's assertion that Brexit is not to blame for the airport and airline chaos. Johan Lundgren, chief executive of easyJet, said 8,000 job applications from European Union citizens have been rejected by his firm because candidates did not have permission to work in the UK.

- Simon Calder

Last week the aviation minister, Robert Courts, told MPs on the business select committee it was "not likely" that leaving the EU played a part in the chronic staff shortages afflicting aviation. Mr Lundgren told The Independent: "The pool of people is smaller, it's just maths. We have had to turn down a huge number of EU nationals because of Brexit. Pre-pandemic we would have turned down 2-2.5 per cent because of nationality issues," Mr Lundgren said. "Now it's 35-40 per cent."