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'Last chance': Keir Starmer says government must extend furlough scheme for workers at risk of losing jobs

Labour has called for the furlough scheme to be extended for workers most at risk of losing their jobs, warning it is “the last chance to act”.

Keir Starmer pointed to worrying job culls at Airbus, Easyjet and elsewhere – even as the prime minister was pledging to rebuild the battered economy on Tuesday.

“There was nothing in the prime minister’s speech for the 3.2 million people in hospitality, or the 2.9 million in retail,” the Labour leader told Boris Johnson.

“Next week’s financial statement could be the last chance to save millions of jobs. Will the prime minister start now by extending the furlough scheme for those parts of the economy still most at risk?”

But the prime minister insisted the “best thing we can do is get the economy back to health by getting our people back into work.”

The furlough scheme – which is paying 80 per cent of the wages of 9.3 million workers – is due to be wound down from the end of July and closed in October.

There is pressure to turn it into a job protection scheme to last throughout 2021, with workers in hospitality, non-food retail, arts, leisure and entertainment facing the risk of mass unemployment.

But the government is keen to start cutting the eye-watering cost to the taxpayer – more than £22bn so far – with firms asked to contribute to furloughed workers wages from August.

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