Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, has welcomed the Government’s response to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee’s pre-Budget report on the impact of Coronavirus on businesses and workers. The Government’s response covers areas such as furlough and income support schemes, restart grants and business support, longer-term strategies to support recovery, and conditionality and corporate behaviour.
Commenting on the Government response, Darren Jones, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee said:
“Accumulated commercial rent arrears and the fear of the fallout when the moratorium ends is a major issue for many ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses, not least those in retail and hospitality, as well a concern for the landlords themselves. In its response to our report, the Government says it is ready to intervene – Ministers need to intervene now and work with businesses, landlords, banks and other stakeholders to find a sustainable long-term solution before our high streets face further closures.
“The Government has spoken of guaranteeing workers’ rights, curtailing the exploitation of gig-economy workers, and tackling insecure work. Yet a new Employment Bill was nowhere to be seen in last week’s Queen’s Speech. The Plan for Growth and the jobs, skills and training programmes outlined so far are welcome, but their ambition does not match the scale of what is needed and the unemployment challenges we face in our country as we recover from the pandemic.”
The response can be viewed here.
