Oral Answers to Questions

Angela Eagle Excerpts

Tuesday 7th July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Aaron Bell (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Con)]

What fiscal steps he is taking to protect jobs during the covid19 outbreak.

[Ms Angela Eagle (Wallasey) (Lab)]

What fiscal steps he is taking to tackle unemployment as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

[Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire) (Lab)]

What fiscal steps he is taking to support people unable to return to work as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

--- Later in debate ---

[Rishi Sunak]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The importance of job matching is critical and the evidence shows us that it works. I know from my time as a Local Government Minister the innovative approach that Councillor Atkins and his team on the county council and the LEP have taken to various economic initiatives. I pay tribute to them for putting this in place with such speed.

[Ms Angela Eagle]

The aerospace sector has already said that 9,000 jobs will go in the UK. The north-west is going to be specifically badly affected if the Government just sit back and allow this export-strong, high-skilled, high-wage sector to be decimated. Germany has put a big package in place. America has put a big package in place. France has put a big package in place. So what is the Chancellor going to put in place to protect and guarantee the future of the aerospace sector in the long term?

[Rishi Sunak]

The interventions in France and Germany related to specific companies, so it obviously would not be appropriate for me to comment on those in this place at this time. The support put in place in the US was primarily to support domestic connectivity. This Government have done that by subsidising considerably our bus network and our rail network to make sure that intra-Union connectivity remains through this crisis.