Moray MP Douglas Ross has welcomed a commitment from the UK Chancellor today to extend the job furlough scheme until the end of March 2021.
Rishi Sunak addressed MPs in the House of Commons today after the Scottish Conservatives sought assurances that jobs would be protected should Scotland be forced into a second national lockdown.
Mr Sunak said that wages will continue to be paid up to 80%, while self-employed people will benefit form an increase to 80% of average profits, up to £7,500.
He said that people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should be assured that the government support will apply to all four nations of the UK, with an increase in upfront grants to the devolved administrations to £16billion in total.
Scottish Conservative MP for Moray Douglas Ross said:
“I have consistently made the case since the weekend that jobs here in Moray and across Scotland had to be protected at all costs.
“I am very pleased to see that the Scottish Conservative pressure has now delivered.
“Rishi Sunak has gone above and beyond. Once again, this UK Government has demonstrated it will do whatever it takes to support the country.
“Thankfully, Moray is currently at Tier One in terms of Scottish Covid-19 restrictions.
“However, businesses now know they can access the furlough scheme to help keep staff in their jobs if this support is needed.
“Across Europe we saw changes to how counties delivered their job support schemes over the summer and the UK was no different. But the UK Government was right to keep this under review as we see more restrictions introduced to get on top of the virus.
“The UK furlough scheme and support for the self-employed are amongst the most generous in the world and have been vital in protecting jobs and businesses here in Moray since the start of this pandemic.
"The Chancellor's announcement will provide a huge amount of reassurance for any company worried about what the winter months may bring.”