Chancellor Rishi Sunak urges Brits to hit the High Street to help Britain bounce back from Covid crisis
RISHI Sunak has urged bargain-hunters to go on a spending spree — to help Britain bounce back from the Covid crisis.
The Chancellor wants the nation to reawaken its “lion spirit” to give shops a roaring trade as they open for the first time in three months tomorrow.
Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
He issued his rallying cry as deserted high streets prepared to come alive again, with the country taking its first steps back towards a normal life.
Mr Sunak said it would be a huge morale boost when stores across the land put up their “open” signs tomorrow morning.
And he declared; “Let’s get the show on the road.”
He admitted many people will feel anxious about venturing out again or parting with their cash when so many jobs are at risk.
But he insisted it was “absolutely vital” to take those first steps back to normality and to kick start the dormant economy and protect hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Mr Sunak said: “It’s important that as a country we’ve got to reawaken our lion spirit. That’s what we are about.
“We’ve got to rediscover our confidence and get our lives back to normal.
So my message is simple — get out there, get shopping. Those are all the things we used to love doing before the pandemic and, bit by bit, we need to get back to where we were.”
In an exclusive Sun on Sunday interview, the Chancellor:
- VOWED to “stand behind” Britain’s workers as we leave lockdown — just as he did when we entered it;
- WARNED life will be different and we would have to “relearn” everyday behaviour we took for granted;
- PLEDGED to make protecting as many jobs as possible his top priority — and to think about paying off the debt later;
- HAILED our “Bounce Back Britain” campaign as a “terrific boost” for shops and businesses battling to survive.
Dad-of-two Mr Sunak, 40, was put in charge of Britain’s finances less than five years after becoming an MP.
His meteoric rise left him with the unenviable task of handling the biggest economic crisis faced by any Chancellor.
Yet after just 122 days — and a looming jobs “Armageddon” — he seems unfazed by the heavy burden on his shoulders.
He said: “There’s no doubt this lockdown has had an enormous impact on our economy.
“We always knew that would be the case and we’re starting to see it in the latest figures which showed it contracted by 20.4 per cent, the highest fall on record.
“But this isn’t about numbers. It is about people, their livelihoods and family security. That’s the thing that weighs most heavily on me.
‘PROTECTED MILLIONS’
“I’m confident my furlough scheme has protected millions of people’s jobs during this crisis but I know there will still be people who have hardship ahead of them.
“That’s why my main focus will be to do everything I can to support them. And we can all do our bit to help by supporting our local shops, services and businesses as they re-open for business.”
Living in the shadow of coronavirus has made many people think twice about whether it is worth the risk to go shopping just yet.
But Mr Sunak insists there is no cause to worry and is confident retailers have done everything possible to make their shops safe.
He has spent the past few days visiting stores of all kinds to check if they are safe to open their doors — and admits a burst of excitement as he entered a bookshop again.
The Chancellor said: “Shopping is something we all used to do. It’s something we all love doing. It’s how we spend time as a family, being out at the weekends, and it’s something we’ve missed.”
Mr Sunak was speaking inside Waterstones in London’s Victoria Street, where he took advantage of the visit to buy some books for his daughters, aged nine and seven.
He said: “I remember what it was like to come with my kids to a store like this on a Saturday and pick up — as I’ve just done — the latest Secret Seven book or a diary for them to scribble in.
“Those are the moments that we’ve all missed so I think people will be yearning and excited, like me, to get back to that.”
He added: “I am very conscious that there will be anxiety. For some time, many people have not been inside a shop and, in a way, we all have to relearn the behaviours we took for granted.
“We’ve been living with anxiety now for 12 weeks but the good news is that we’ve made enormous progress. Bit by bit, that confidence will come back and the anxiety will reduce. But it’s not going to happen overnight.”
Rishi Sunak on the economy
BRITAIN faces losing up to three million jobs unless the country is working again soon.
The Chancellor, with his prediction dubbed Jobocalypse, admits: “There are forecasts which absolutely point to those kind of numbers. It’s incredibly sad.”
The Treasury is braced for two million losses when furloughing ends.
But it could be worse if pubs and restaurants fail to open.
‘TENTATIVE STEPS’
He added: “You can see the extraordinary steps the shop has taken to create a safe environment.
“They’ve got distancing clearly marked out on the floor, hand sanitisers, screens at the checkout and a different way to do returns.
“All of this is creating an environment that is going to keep us safe. And that’s not just at this store. Lots of shops up and down the country have put in an enormous effort and once people start to return from Monday they will see and the confidence will build.”
Tomorrow’s re-opening will be a dry run for the return of pubs and restaurants, which have been targeted for the beginning of July.
Mr Sunak insists it will continue to be in “tentative steps” but said it was vital to move forward if the country is to return to near-normal.
The Chancellor said the economy also rests on our “entrepreneurial spirit” and called for risk-takers to “re-tweak” their business or “try something new”.
Rishi Sunak on racism
MR Sunak says he suffered racism and “it stings in a way that other things don’t”.
And his grand- parents endured vile discrimination on arriving in Britain.
He said: “We’ve made enormous progress. That is the case and we should be proud.
“Are people right to be angry and upset we haven’t made more progress?
“Absolutely, but change doesn’t come from destroying things.”
Most read in News
He added: “We’re going to have to think creatively. A firm might want to reopen in a different way. And a lot of people are going to start new businesses.”
He stressed it was vital to get off to a flying start by making sure the high street revival is a big success.
The Chancellor said: “The Sun’s Bounce Back Britain campaign is absolutely vital because it will help people to realise that the country is open for business again.”
Rishi Sunak on Boris rift
A HEATED row has broken out between the Sunak family and their neighbour at No10.
The Chancellor revealed he is demanding that a barbecue being installed in the famous Rose Garden is gas-fuelled.
But the PM is holding out for a more traditional coal option.
Mr Sunak said: “There is a big divide. We had a heated debate and it is currently unresolved.”
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS - STAY IN THE KNOW
Don't miss the latest news and figures - and essential advice for you and your family.
To receive The Sun’s Coronavirus newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here.
To follow us on Facebook, simply ‘Like’ our Coronavirus page.
Get Britain’s best-selling newspaper delivered to your smartphone or tablet each day – find out more.
GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk