Rishi Sunak begs Brits to eat out & get back to work to save economy
THE Chancellor is begging Brits to do their bit to help save the economy.
Rishi has told Brits they must return to offices and dine out using the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in order to kick start the economy.
Speaking to the Evening Standard he said: “We all have a vital role to play in our recovery and making sure our economy bounces back as quickly as possible.
“Together we can come out of this crisis thriving and stronger than ever before.”
The Chancellor also praised Londoners for the current low coronavirus rate in the capital.
However, he added, we can now start to move forward and drive London’s “powerhouse economy forward”.
He said it’s crucial the citizens of the United Kingdom “do our bit” in helping to save the country’s suffering economy, by returning to offices, dining out and shopping.
It comes after Boris Johnson last week begged Brits to get back to the office, as ministers warned staying at home could cost jobs.
Fears of an economic Armageddon are growing – if offices stay stubbornly empty, 135,000 jobs from high-street and city-centre shops could be lost.
Housing Minister Robert Jenrick warned job losses would follow because the wider economy will be hit if millions refuse to budge.
He said: “Those of us who can should be safely going out to shops, using cafés and restaurants and getting back to work.
“If we don’t, I’m afraid we will see further job losses and a loss of some of those fantastic businesses that we see in our cities.”
Mr Johnson added that getting schools open was “very, very important . . . for getting our economy overall moving again”.
Rishi’s warnings come as it was revealed the UK economy grew by 1.8 per cent in May as coronavirus lockdown restrictions were eased.
But figures also revealed the Eat Out to Help Out scheme was helping to boost restaurants and the businesses around them.
But GDP has not yet recovered from record falls in March and April and is still down 24.5 per cent compared to pre-coronavirus levels in February.
The UK economy fell by 5.8 per cent in March as coronavirus lockdown triggered a crash in activity.
GDP then plunged by 20.4 per cent in April – the biggest monthly fall on record.
Most read in News
Meanwhile, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) today predicted GDP could fall by 14.3 per cent this year.
It added that unemployment levels are set to treble to 12 per cent as the furlough scheme comes to an end.
Since March, almost 60,000 jobs have been lost or put at risk due to store closures or major cut backs at high street retailers, manufacturers, airlines, and restaurants chains.
