Responding to the reports that the UK’s unemployment rate has risen again, to 4.8% in the three months to September, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “These figures show clearly the scale of the hardship coronavirus is causing. The responsibility for that sits squarely with the Chancellor and his chop-and-change approach to job support, and refusal to recognise the needs of the excluded.
“Liberal Democrats had warned the Chancellor that this would be the consequence of his actions. He must now commit to a long-term plan that will save as many jobs as possible, including keeping the furlough scheme in place until June 2021, and he must urgently extend support to the three million taxpayers that have been excluded since the start of the crisis.”