WATCH: Labour calls for “much more urgent action” to save jobs

Anneliese Dodds has called on the government to take “much more urgent action” to prevent unemployment in the coronavirus crisis, and highlighted that other countries are doing more than the UK.

In an interview with Sky News this morning, the Shadow Chancellor welcomed the infrastructure spending announced by the government but warned there is a “big gap” in terms of preventing unemployment.

Dodds said that investment needs to “go along with a very strong focus on preventing additional unemployment” and creating new employment opportunities, and reiterated the call for a ‘back to work’ Budget.

She said: “There is a big gap there in what the government is putting forward. We think there needs to be a back-to-work Budget. It looks now like we might just have a so-called ‘economic update’ from the Chancellor next week.

“That’s much less than what’s happening in other countries to prevent unemployment and help the unemployed. So we really do need to see much more urgent action taken now.”

Earlier in the month, Labour called for measures to protect jobs in a back to work Budget, and warned that the UK could see “mass unemployment on a scale not seen for decades” when the furlough scheme is withdrawn.

The furlough scheme has protected more than eight million jobs across the country throughout the health crisis. Economists have warned that the level of unemployment will rise sharply as the government scheme is withdrawn.