The Government’s Winter Economic Plan announced last week is a comprehensive response to help us as a nation deal with a resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a Government we are determined that the virus will not threaten our economic recovery, but we have all got to accept that the economy cannot return to exactly as it looked in March. So as part of the Winter Economy Plan we are focussing on dealing with the problems businesses face right now, supporting viable job through these most difficult of times.

The new Job Support Scheme will directly fund businesses to protect all viable jobs and people’s wages. The Government are also acting to minimise the strain on company cash flow, so that employers can focus their resources on supporting employment. The Pay as You Grow scheme will cut Bounce Back loan repayments by almost half by extending the loans to 10-years and the extension to our temporary VAT cut will be extended to Spring 2021 to support our hospitality sector.

As we continue to navigate our way through the Covid-19 pandemic the Government continues to support the jobs and livelihoods of families right across our country.