12Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Unemployment figures are “calm before the storm”

Unemployment figures are “calm before the storm”

Parliamentary news
Responding to the unemployment figures, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: "This is the calm before the storm. Without urgent action to protect jobs in hard-hit sectors, we face a winter of more labour shortages and families suffering from the cost of living crunch. "We must not be lulled into a false sense of security. The Government must drop their ideological immigration policies to address serious labour shortages. "And in the long-term, we need a serious investment in skills to build an economy for Britain after the pandemic."
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14Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Job vacancies: Working families facing ‘triple whammy’

Job vacancies: Working families facing ‘triple whammy’

Borough news
Reacting to new figures which show job vacancies are at a record high, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: "These figures reveal an unprecedented staffing crisis creating uncertainty for businesses all across the UK, and threatening to hurt our economic recovery. "At the same time, at the end of the month countless working families will be left worrying about putting food on the table as they face the triple whammy of furlough ending, the slashing of universal credit and the unfair National Insurance hike. “The Government can no longer ignore the unfolding crises in our economy hurting people and businesses. We need to see an extension of furlough, the Universal Credit uplifting made permanent, and urgent action to tackle staff shortages."
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17Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Unemployment stats: Figures belie scale of challenge ahead

Unemployment stats: Figures belie scale of challenge ahead

Parliamentary news
Reacting to figures released this morning showing that UK's unemployment rate dropped to 4.7% in Q2 2021 (a decrease of 0.2% on the quarter before), Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: “These figures don’t give us a real picture of what is going on in our economy or the scale of the challenge ahead. "The Government needs to listen to the businesses in the hospitality sector who cannot open up fully because staff were forced to move on during the lockdown. Or the countless small businesses who say they’re months away from closing. And the parents worried how they will feed their children and pay their bills if they lose their job when furlough ends next month. “What the country needs is a long-term strategy to support jobs…
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12May 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
GDP stats: No sugar coating economic damage of Covid and EU trade deal

GDP stats: No sugar coating economic damage of Covid and EU trade deal

Parliamentary news
Responding to estimate figures released this morning showing that the UK's GDP contracted by 1.5% in Q1 2021, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: "There is no way of sugar coating the clear damage to the economy that these figures demonstrate. "The combination of Covid and the difficulty businesses face in dealing with the new EU trade deal have created a perfect storm for the economy. "This demonstrates again the need for the extension and reform of business support to avoid a damaging cliff edge in September. It's not good enough for the Chancellor to claim he has built business confidence - we need to see real actions, such as the extension of the Furlough scheme and a NICs cut for small businesses."
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23Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Small businesses need urgent support in spite of record borrowing

Small businesses need urgent support in spite of record borrowing

Parliamentary news
New economic data from the Office for National Statistics show the Government borrowed £303.1bn in the year to March, the highest level since the end of World War Two. The figures show that, compared to the previous 12 months, borrowing is nearly £250bn higher in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. In response to the statistics released this morning, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: "These record figures are a reflection of the momentous challenge posed by Covid-19 in the past year. As significant as they are, they can't distract from the fact that people and businesses throughout the UK are still in need of support. “Countless small businesses won't be able to reopen for months to come, and millions of people are still worried about their jobs.…
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23Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Unemployment: Vital furlough scheme must be extended

Unemployment: Vital furlough scheme must be extended

Parliamentary news
Responding to new ONS labour market figures showing that the UK's unemployment rate is 5%, Liberal Democrats Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: "This is a another set of challenging figures to mark the first anniversary of lockdown. "In a year when so many have already lost so much, it is clear that Covid-19 still poses a threat to our health and economy, with millions unable to return to work and countless small businesses unable to operate. "Today's figures emphasise just how important it is to maintain the furlough scheme as the economy reopens. Five million jobs currently supported could have been lost if the Chancellor hadn't been persuaded to extend it. "Now he has to show he's learnt that lesson and immediately extend furlough at least until the end…
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19Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Record borrowing should not stop support for small businesses

Record borrowing should not stop support for small businesses

Parliamentary news
New economic data from the Office for National Statistics show the Government borrowed £19.1bn last month, the highest figure on record for February. The figures also show public finances worsened further in February as spending on Covid-19 support continued to grow while tax receipts fell. Responding to the new ONS data this morning, Christine Jardine, Treasury Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, said: “These record borrowing figures throw into stark relief the scale of the challenge posed by Covid-19, but they can not be used as an excuse by the Government to end support prematurely, and leave behind people and businesses struggling across the UK. “Thousands of small businesses are due to stay closed for months to come, and millions of people are still worried about their jobs. Yet the Chancellor…
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10Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government must give travel industry clarity

Government must give travel industry clarity

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Treasury Christine Jardine MP attended an online meeting with key figures from the travel industry this morning to discuss the issues facing the sector. At the event, hosted by the travel industry publication Travel Trade Gazette, attendees spoke of their frustration at lack of sector specific support and clarity from the Government over quarantine, the mounting debts many travel companies and tour operators are facing, and welcomed the idea of the revenue replacement scheme which the Liberal Democrats called for in the Budget. Christine Jardine MP said: "Listening to the issues faced by the travel industry it is clear that the Government need to provide a much more tailored approach for the sector, and that the sort of revenue replacement scheme that the Liberal Democrats…
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03Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Furlough extension: Compensate rent for small businesses on the brink

Furlough extension: Compensate rent for small businesses on the brink

Parliamentary news
Christine Jardine MP, Treasury Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, responded to the Government reportedly planning to extend the furlough jobs scheme until September. The Liberal Democrats are proposing a German style revenue loss scheme to compensate small businesses for fixed costs incurred during the pandemic.* Christine Jardine MP, called on the Government to go much further than extending the jobs furlough: “We are facing a once in a generation shock to our economy and we need a recovery which works for small businesses and the millions of people they employ. "We need a clear long term strategy to support people out of this, and not just another knee jerk reaction to extend furlough, when its not for long enough or in a way that suits small businesses who need help…
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27Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Reported business grants offer is an insult

Reported business grants offer is an insult

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Christine Jardine MP has described the Government’s reported plan to only provide businesses with £5 billion in grants to get through the economic crisis, as an “insult”. She said: “At a time when millions of small businesses are struggling to survive, to offer them just £5 billion would be an insult. “From beauticians to builders, florists to café owners – the small businesses in our communities are on the brink and the Chancellor must do more. “It is now or never to save a million businesses in our local communities and the Government must put their recovery first. “We need to see a budget with a bold and ambitious compensation package for those who are facing crippling losses, and coping with hardship through no fault of…
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