We can’t risk month of dither and delay until the Budget
Labour is the party of work and business. We understand that businesses create the jobs and drive the growth that will help build Britain’s recovery.
It’s these high-skilled, wellpaid jobs that we need so badly in theNorthEast,whichhasbeenlet down by over a decade of neglect and broken promises under the Tories.
Whilebusinessesarecentralto our economic recovery, we know that the pandemic has had a devastatingimpactformanyofthem.
Thegovernmentshouldbedoing all it can to get as many as possible through this crisis.
Yet once again, Rishi Sunak is jeopardising their futures by putting off key decisions until next month’s Budget.
Throughout this crisis the
Chancellor has acted at the last minute, creating uncertainty for businesses, and costing jobs.
Takethefurloughscheme.Millionsacrossthecountryarestillon furlough, but this is set to expire at the end of April. Across Sunderland, almost 14, 450 jobs are at risk. The Chancellor must provide clarity. Right now his silence is causing real worry for local businesses. I know from speaking with them how worried they areaboutgettingthroughthenext few months.
He should nip this uncertainty in the bud before businesses decide to shut shop, and immediately back Labour’s call for a “smart” extension to the furlough scheme.
Thisisn’tsimplyaboutextending furlough. Labour have called on the Government to improve it, with new training to help furloughed workers improve their skills and tough conditions on employers to stop abuse.
We cannot risk a month of dither and delay until the Budget.
This inaction threatens local jobs and our economic recovery - just as the Covid vaccine offers light at the end of the tunnel.
Across Sunderland there has been a swift and efficient vaccine rollout, thanks in no small part to the incredible efforts of NHS staff and volunteers.
I was lucky enough to see this first-hand on a recent visit to the vaccine centre in Houghton, one of six across Sunderland.
The vaccine gives us hope of a way out of this crisis. The promise that before long, we can spend time with friends and loved ones once again.
But until it is rolled out, it’s up to the government to match the dedicationshownbyourcommunity to getting through this crisis. It’s why they must act now to secure, recover and create jobs.
AFTER BECOMING the world’s first country to approve a vaccine for use, the UK Government has bought jabs on behalf of all the UK, distributing them around England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The government has invested over £300 million in securing and scaling up the UK’s manufacturing capabilities to be able to respond to this pandemic.
We already have several authorised vaccines combating COVID-19 ... more than any other country in the world.
The priority is to save as many lives as possible, as quickly as possible, while also reducing
A multi-million pound vaccine programme is being rolled out at a fast rate across the UK with over ten million people having already been immunised. We
focus on how jabs are being distributed and the many people working together to ensure everyone
receives the vital vaccine.
hospitalisations that create pressure on the NHS. The UK is vaccinating more than double the rate per person per day than any other country in Europe.
This success has been made possible by many people from the scientists developing the vaccine and forces personnel setting up vaccination centres to delivery drivers and remote
doctors vaccinating the elderly within their community, all working together across the whole nation. Vaccination is the best way to protect people from coronavirus and is the best route back to normality.
The vital vaccine works by teaching your immune system how to defend itself against viral attack.