Scotland is critical. Labour has to people we can deliver change and

Shadow chancellor demands furlough scheme extension and

Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds has called for the UK Government’s furlough scheme to be extended and targeted to help protect vital Scottish industries such as tourism. The Labour MP is urging the Chancellor Rishi Sunack to extend the wage support scheme benefiting 680,000 Scots past October, when it is due to end.

She said Scottish firms needed the furlough scheme to provide certainty while striving to get back on their feet. Her call was echoed by the SNP as the Westminster government prepared to cut the proportion of wages paid by taxpayers from 80% to 60% in August, and came after The Sunday Post revealed how Scotland’s tourist towns have been hit hardest during the coronavirus lockdown.

Ms Dodds said: “Unlike in many other countries, we’re seeing support being removed at the same rate right across the economy.

“Tourism and hospitality are being treated the same as other parts of the economy that might be almost back to capacity. That doesn’t seem to be sensible. We need to protect workers and businesses that are viable until demand returns to the economy.

“Tourism, hospitality and oil and gas are critical industries and they’ve been hit very hard during this period. In many cases, these are businesses that are viable in the long run. They need to get the support now so they will be able to function again effectively when demand return.” Ms Dodds, who became Shadow Chancellor in April, grew up in the Aberdeenshire village of Netherley, five miles north-west of Stonehaven. Ms Dodds said: “Scotland has an incredible amount to offer tourists, and it’s really important we do all we can to preserve that capacity. “We recognise the furlough scheme can’t stay the same forever and does need to become more targeted with some industries returning to capacity. But, in those areas that are still struggling, it doesn’t make sense to be effectively withdrawing all support by October when the lockdown will still be having an impact and demand will not be built up.”

After her family moved to Aberdeen, Ms Dodds was educated at the city’s Robert Gordon’s College, before gaining a place at Oxford University, where she gained a first-class degree. She also studied at Edinburgh University and the London School of Economics before beginning an academic career. She was elected as MEP for South East England region in 2014, before being elected to the House of Commons three years later as MP for Oxford East. A month later she was appointed shadow treasury minister by Jeremy Corbyn.

Ms Dodds said she was inspired politically by former Labour chancellor and prime minister Gordon Brown and his drive to end child poverty. She said: “He showed you can be a very principled person and very effective at putting change into

Labour leading light Anneliese Dodds and, above,

place. His work on child poverty made such an enormous difference. I’m extremely grateful he is still active even now, doing a lot of work to get support for a coronavirus vaccine, particularly for some of the poorest countries in the world. That overriding sense of principle and commitment is really impressive.” Ms Dodds follows in Mr Brown’s footsteps as Labour shadow chancellor, and they have spoken since her appointment to the role in April. “He always says he would be the last person to give advice. I’m not sure I agree when he says that, but I’m very

grateful indeed he has been willing to be very open with his time. “He was someone very active on the international stage, and I think we really need to have that international leadership coming from the UK once more. Global development surrounding this disease will end up affecting us whether we like it or not, and we need to be leading those discussions if at all possible.”

In December’s general election, under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, Labour suffered its worst electoral defeat since 1935. However, the Conservative government’s response