“JOBS ON THE LINE” AS CHANCELLOR REFUSES TO EXTEND THE FURLOUGH SCHEME
Stirling MP Alyn Smith has said the Tory government is “threatening Stirling’s recovery” – after the Chancellor refused to extend the furlough scheme and failed to give a commitment to devolving crucial financial powers to the Scottish Parliament.
Responding to the Chancellor’s announcements, Mr Smith said that the Tories are putting jobs and livelihoods on the line by cutting off the Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme too soon.
The SNP MP for Stirling the Tory government was leaving the Scottish Parliament to tackle the unprecedented economic crisis with “one hand tied behind its back” by withholding the financial powers requested by the Scottish Government to secure a strong recovery in Scotland.
Alyn Smith MP said:
“The Tories are threatening Stirling’s and Scotland’s recovery by prematurely cutting off the furlough scheme for thousands of local workers – and withholding the crucial financial powers that Scotland needs to support them.
“While other countries are extending support into 2021, the Tory government is ignoring the needs of workers in Scotland by cutting off this much-needed lifeline way too soon.
“By refusing to give any commitment to devolving financial powers, the Tories are deliberately leaving the Scottish Parliament to tackle this unprecedented crisis with one hand tied behind its back – putting Scotland’s recovery at risk in a completely unacceptable way.
“I welcome many of the announcements made by the Chancellor, but it didn’t go nearly far enough to address the level of investment needed to grow our way out of the potential financial crisis brought by Covid-19. It didn’t come close to meeting the £80billion of new money proposed by the Scottish Government or the four per cent of GDP investment that Germany has delivered.
“It was also a missed opportunity to put fairness at the heart of the recovery. This crisis has exposed the deep inequalities caused by a decade of Tory austerity – but we saw no real investment to boost people’s incomes or reverse the soaring levels of child poverty in the UK.
“The Chancellor ignored calls by the SNP and anti-poverty campaigners to tackle inequality – by failing to introduce a real living wage or increase Universal Credit payments for families with children by £20 a week.
“The Tories also failed to deliver any major boost to NHS and Social Care funding. Refusing to match the £136 higher levels of spending per head in Scotland, which would have delivered a £35billion increase for NHS England and a £4billion increase for NHS Scotland in Barnett consequentials.
“With unemployment rising and businesses going under, the SNP will continue to press the UK government to ensure Scotland has the powers and the funds we need to protect jobs and deliver a strong and fair recovery. It’s time the Tory government raised its ambitions.”