Do not abandon working people now, in their hour of need

FEARS Department store John Lewis

THERE’S rising panic being felt in homes across the country right now.

The last 48 hours have seen a jobs bloodbath with over 12,000 lost.

Back in April, I was among the first to welcome the jobs retention scheme. It was the right thing to do.

But it should never be the last word in help for desperate workers.

Disappointingly, support which sectors were promised by government back in

March has not materialised. In aviation, aerospace, auto and hospitality, workers with first-class skills are not engaged in a national effort to build this country back, better than before this vicious virus.

“Whatever it takes” to help workers through this crisis has been replaced with, “You’re on your own, mate”. Across the Channel, it’s a different story.

Workers in Stuttgart, Madrid and Toulouse know that their government will keep them in employment. They can breathe, knowing they can feed their families and do a decent day’s work.

Mr Johnson, why can’t you do the same for Britain’s workers?

Do one thing today, extend the JRS for those sectors most at risk. That one action will help pull desperate businesses back from the brink and stop the tens of thousands of lost jobs now spiralling into a 1930s-style depression.

Remember, it was the workers of this country who kept us going through this crisis. They deserve so much more than second-hand projects and loose change.

PM, it’s time to act like the Churchill you so admire. Do not abandon working people now in their hour of need.