Johnson vows 'long overdue' revamp of UK's post-Brexit economy

Shrugging off panic-buying at petrol stations, bare supermarket shelves and retailers' warnings of a bleak Christmas to come, the Tory leader says the short-term pain is worth it.

"We are dealing with the biggest underlying issues of our economy and society," he is expected to say in his conference-closing speech, according to excerpts released by the party.

"The problems that no government has had the guts to tackle before.

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

Instead, British businesses will have to invest in their workers and in technology to push the country "towards a high wage, high skill, high productivity economy".

But it will take time to transition, and, in the meantime, the government has grudgingly agreed to a limited number of short-term visas to lure truckers and poultry workers from Eastern Europe.