Sadiq Khan: Give London its fair share of funding and it will lead Britain’s recovery

PA
Sadiq Khan2 March 2021
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

In 1945, a bold and reforming Labour Government rebuilt Britain from the ashes of the Second World War. Clement Attlee saw it as his moral duty to build a country fit for the heroes who had sacrificed so much. That Government created the NHS, the welfare state and our national parks – and their actions still fundamentally shape our country today.

Now we now need to see action and ambition on the same scale from our current Government, with a plan to build a better country after the Covid-19 pandemic. We need a fairer, greener and more prosperous country - and they must start delivering it at the Budget on Wednesday.

The Chancellor has an immense generational responsibility on his shoulders. We owe it to the more than 120,000 people who have lost their lives during the pandemic, to the NHS and key workers who have done so much to keep us safe and moving, and to everyone who has followed the rules and put their lives on hold - to build a better and fairer country after the pandemic.

Creating new jobs to replace those that have been lost, supporting businesses and protecting existing jobs that remain must be the top priority. We simply cannot afford to return to the entrenched unemployment of the 1980s which destroyed so many lives and communities - I saw the devastation is caused first hand, growing up in South London.

Government support for jobs such as the furlough scheme, business rates holiday and VAT relief must continue for as long as necessary, but we need to hear more than that from the Chancellor. We need a proactive plan for how the emergency support will eventually be replaced with a national jobs guarantee – linked to good quality apprenticeships and in-work training that can help people find better paid and more secure jobs than those they’ve lost.

Ministers need to support those sectors that have been worst hit by the pandemic – like retail, hospitality, leisure and culture. Not just with emergency grants and loans to help them survive until restrictions are fully lifted, but with a proper vision for the future – that sets a clear framework for how Government is going to support them to recover and grow over the decades ahead.

And of course, London must get its fair share of funding to promote jobs and growth. If Britain’s economy is to recover – as it must – then this growth will be led by London, which is the engine of growth for the entire UK. Refusing to support the recovery of our capital for political reasons would just make us all poorer in the long run.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in