The Scotsman

Chancellor makes a trip north of the Border

-

Chancellor Rishi Sunak will visit Scotland today as new figures how that more than 65,000 businesses north of the Border have received over £2.3 billion of support to bounce back from the Covid lockdown.

In addition, almost a third (29.8 per cent) of workers in Scotland have benefitted from the furlough scheme which sees the Government cover the wages of staff unable to work as a result of the Coronaviru­s shutdown.

Mr Sunak will use his trip north of the border to visit firms who have got a share of UK Government assistance as part of a multi-billion bail-out of the economy.

Loan schemes have supported businesses across all sectors, with the retail, constructi­on and hospitalit­y sectors, including hotels and restaurant­s, having benefitted most.

“I’m proud that we have supported more than 65,000 businesses in Scotland through our loan schemes, and we are committed to continuing to support them to bounce back and succeed through the measures set out in our Plan for Jobs,” Mr Sunak said ahead of today’s visit.

Furlough and the selfemploy­ed income support scheme (SEISS) has bailed out firms across all sectors of the economy, with 155,000 people in Scotland benefittin­g from SEISS. The UK government also committed last week that the Scottish Government will receive a minimum of £1.9 billion in additional funding this year, on top of £4.6bn confirmed since March.

But the SNP’S shadow Chancellor Alison Thewliss called on Mr Sunak to apologise to Scots for the “devastatin­g impact of his extreme Tory Brexit plans.”

She said: “People across Scotland have been hit hard by a decade of Tory austerity cuts, and reckless plans to impose an extreme Brexit in the middle of a pandemic will exacerbate the damage done to jobs and the economy leaving ordinary people paying the price.

“Rishi Sunak must use his Westminste­r promo tour to explain why Scotland has been completely ignored throughout the Brexit process, and why the Tories are sidelining our interests in the trade negotiatio­ns with a power grab on the Scottish Parliament.

“The truth is Tory ministers are in full panic mode because they know the majority for independen­ce is growing as more people agree the only way to properly protect Scotland’s interests and our place at the heart of Europe is to become an independen­t country.”

Newly elected Scots Tory leader Douglas Ross insisted that the Chancellor has “delivered” for Scotland in the battle to protect the economy from the worst impact of the Coronaviru­s pandemic and lockdown.

“I’m delighted to welcome the Chancellor to Scotland today,” Mr Ross said.

“He has delivered in spades in the first stage of this crisis with the furlough scheme, tax breaks and support for Scottish business. As we move focus to our longer term recovery, we want to hear from job creators and workers in Scotland about how the heft of the UK Government can be used to keep Scotland’s recovery from the pandemic on track.”

 ??  ?? 0 Rishi Sunak will visit Scotland today
0 Rishi Sunak will visit Scotland today

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom