The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to extend furlough as new figures reveal growth in August was slower than the expansion seen in both June and July. Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “These figures make it clear that despite the massive effort people have made to fight this virus and its economic implications, the road to recovery is going to be rockier than we feared.
“The Chancellor has to recognise that people, businesses and the economy need more support than he is currently offering. Furlough has to be extended until next June and broadened to support everyone.
“It’s not good enough for the Chancellor to say dismissively that he can’t protect every job, because frankly it’s his job to try to do exactly that and make sure nobody is left behind.”