Robbie Moore MP on Covid-19 recovery measures

THE government is dealing with the ever-changing challenges thrown up by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The hugely successful Eat Out to Help Out scheme facilitated an extraordinary comeback for the hospitality industry, only to be set back by further restrictions made necessary by a surge in Covid cases.

People who were previously getting back into the routine of going to Covid-secure workplaces are once again being asked to work from home. And groups who were making plans to meet and socialise are being asked to limit contact with people from outside their households.

Whatever changes, we know that in future our economy isn’t going to look like it did at the start of this pandemic so last month the Chancellor announced our Winter Economy Plan – the next phase of our planned economic response to the virus.

There are reasons to be cautiously optimistic: thanks to our comprehensive and generous response in March, we have seen three consecutive months of economic growth, millions of people have moved off the furlough scheme and back to work, and consumer spending is returning. 

However, the resurgence of the virus threatens our recovery. Now it is clear we must live with coronavirus for months to come, this means the economy cannot return to exactly as it was in March and the economic rationale for the next phase of support must reflect the current challenges being posed by the virus.

In our Winter Economy Plan we are focussing on dealing with the problems businesses face right. Our Job Support Scheme directly funds businesses to protect viable jobs and people’s wages, rather than laying employees off through a difficult winter. 

This can be claimed in conjunction with the government’s offer of £1,000 for retaining employees brought back from furlough into 2021.

We also recognise that some people will need to retrain for a newly structured labour market. Our Lifetime Skills Guarantee will provide adults in England without an A-Level or equivalent qualifications from April the opportunity to take up a free, fully funded college course.

Alongside this, we are also making higher education loans more flexible, allowing people to space out their study across their lifetimes and take more high-quality vocational courses.

By offering a free and fully-funded college course to adults without an A-level or equivalent qualification we can provide them with skills valued by employers, and the opportunity to study at a time and location that suits them. 

This offer will be available from April to everyone in Keighley and Ilkley and will be paid for through our National Skills Fund. This fund was a key part of our plan to level up the UK in the December 2019 General Election. It will ensure we have the skills we need to attract investors to West Yorkshire. 

The action we are taking to give the workforce the rights skills for the post-Covid economy has been welcomed by major UK employers from all sectors including Citibank, Greene King pubs, BAE Systems and Microsoft.

Having recently visited Keighley University Academy and Keighley College I am confident we have the institutions right here to provide the skills to ensure our area can build back better.

Finally, our government has shown its’ direct commitment to Keighley and Ilkley over the last month. I have welcomed three government ministers to this constituency, all of whom came to ensure our government is working for people right here in West Yorkshire.

The Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss met with manufacturing businesses in Keighley to learn how we can help them grow and trade abroad, creating more high quality well paid jobs for local people.

The Conservative Party Chairman Amanda Milling came to speak to Wyedean Weaving Company who are producing uniforms for the Ministry of Defence and the police to ensure that the government’s policies effectively represent the needs of employers here. Most recently we welcomed the Pensions Minister Guy Opperman to visit businesses which are committed to environmental responsibility.

We met with Haworth-based Airedale Springs because Guy is focusing on additional regulations that will require pension investment funds to invest in firms which meet ‘Environmental, Social and Governance’ standards, ensuring investments are ethical and sustainable. Airedale Springs have over 100 solar panels which cover 20 per cent of the building’s needs so they’re a leading example of the government’s push to support businesses which meet these ‘ESG’ requirements.

Covid-19 is providing significant challenges to all of us here in Keighley and Ilkley, but I am keen to ensure that as our economy recovers from this virus we are well-placed to make the most of the supporting measures our government is providing to help us recover.