British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed a far-reaching overhaul to wean the UK economy off cheap foreign labor after Brexit.

Johnson’s statement comes during a panic-buying frenzy at gas stations, bare supermarket shelves, and retailer warnings of a bleak Christmas ahead.

However, the PM affirms that the short-term pain is worth it.

Johnson said, “We are dealing with the biggest underlying issues of our economy and society,” adding that “the problems that no government has had the guts to tackle before”.

"Because we are now embarking on the long-overdue change of direction in the UK economy," Johnson said, “vowing no return to the pre-Brexit model of "uncontrolled immigration."

He also stated that businesses in the United Kingdom will need to invest in their employees and in technology in order to propel the country "towards a high-wage, high-skill, high-productivity economy."

The C-word

Johnson is expected to speak of Britain's action plan on climate change and the need for global coordination, ahead of convening the two-week COP26 climate summit in Scotland from October 31. He is also set to emphasize other issues in his speech, including "leveling up" economic growth and "Global Britain" after the EU divorce.

On his account, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said it would be "immoral" to bequeath pandemic-driven debt to future generations, but made no mention of saving those generations from a burning planet.

The omission was a "damaging sign" ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, added Rebecca Newsom, head of policy for Greenpeace UK.

"Coughing up more cash for green infrastructure now would save enormous costs later and create millions of new jobs across the UK," she said.

Neither did Foreign Secretary Liz Truss reference the C-word -- climate -- in her speech on Sunday, while vowing to support "greener" growth and "clean infrastructure" in developing countries.