Government urged to give Brits ‘work from home’ order in April before ‘crisis’ hits

A work from home directive was described as ‘perfectly sensible’

According to Nick Butler, professor and former vice-president for strategy and policy at oil giant BP, the Labour government should instruct all UK workers to work remotely from the end of the month.

Speaking to Times Radio, Butler described a work from home directive as “perfectly sensible”, adding that “some countries, I think particularly in Asia, where the crisis has hit earliest, they're taking an extra day a week at home”.

“People are being encouraged to work at home. And I think you have to test now whether there's a willingness. And as I read the behavioural science, people do respond. They don't all do it perfectly, but they respond if other people are responding”, he added.

Asked whether the government ought to issue work from home recommendations, Prof Butler said: “Yes, I think that that would be a perfectly sensible measure.”

“The real crisis for Britain and for Europe will come at the end of April and in early May, when the real shortage will translate into both a physical shortage and a sharp rise in prices. I don't think we've yet seen the full impact on prices of this loss of supply”, he warned.

“The jet fuel prices doubled, and I think that could go further north as well. I think there's been a degree of complacency and a belief that Mr (Donald) Trump would always come back into line and there would be a deal, and then everything would be OK”, he added, as he warned of major crisis which will hit UK at end of April.

His warnings come as Chancellor Rachel Reeves stepped up her criticism of Donald Trump’s war on Iran, describing it as a “mistake” that has destabilised the global economy and damaged living standards around the world.