Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday refused to return Britain to its "broken" pre-Brexit economy, even as the country confronts a supply chain crisis made worse by its EU divorce. In a bullish conference message to the Tory faithful gathered in Manchester, northwest England, Johnson vowed to forge ahead with his post-Covid recovery plan to "level up" growth, and tackle priorities from infrastructure to climate change. The government has sought to blame the global health crisis for an exodus of foreign lorry drivers since Brexit took full effect and free movement of people ended in January. Deliveries to supermarkets have been hit, while a lack of tanker drivers has triggered panic-buying at petrol stations, forcing Johnson to call in the army to deliver stocks. The government now faces warnings from farmers that tens of thousands of pigs could be incinerated in the coming days without an urgent influx of foreign abattoir workers and butchers. Marshalled by a large police deployment in Manchester, more than 2,000 protesters rallied against the Conservatives on the opening day of their conference Sunday. "We're here today because this government is totally incompetent," retired...
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