Today's Headlines

Govt must act to stop mass redundancies in critical moment for our economy

The Bank of England has warned UK economy could shrink by 14% this year.

• This is a critical time for our economy. The number one economic priority is avoiding mass redundancies by extending the furlough scheme. Businesses must have the time and space to recover. Jobs and business support schemes cannot be removed too early or completely.
• Without Government action, jobs could be lost on a massive scale and the economy could spiral.
• The Government must also take immediate steps to extend the Brexit transition period. Uncertainty over our relationship with our closest trading partner will hurt the economy even more. Risking the UK leaving transition with no deal is unbelievably irresponsible.
• We must above all keep people safe from the coronavirus and the lockdown should continue as long as the science shows it needs to. But the Government must also do more to keep businesses afloat through these turbulent times.

Lib Dems: 200k testing target must not be a PR stunt

Yesterday the Prime Minister committed to reaching 200,000 tests for coronavirus a day by the end of May.

• The Health Secretary's target of 100,000 tests per day for coronavirus was always going to be a hostage to fortune, and the truth is, Hancock missed it.
• Even on their dubious accounting, the Government has not made the target on a single day since 30 April. The Prime Minister's new commitment to 200,000 tests by the end of May must be accompanied by a proper strategy and must not be a headline chasing PR stunt.
• Rather than setting another arbitrary target, we need a clear plan that sets out how widespread community testing will be scaled up and easily accessible to all who need it.
• A large-scale testing programme is an essential part of the plan to test, trace and isolate to keep people safe and save lives, as we ease the country out of lockdown.

Home Sec urged to record hate crime against Chinese community in bid to end it

The Liberal Democrats have called on the Home Secretary to tackle coronavirus-related hate crimes against the Chinese community, including requiring government officials to collect data on the ethnicity of hate crime victims.

• Everyone should be free to live their lives without fear of discrimination, abuse or violence. Reports of Chinese people in the UK experiencing racist incidents linked to coronavirus are deeply alarming.
• All of us with a public platform must stand up to those whose language and actions spread hate - whether on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or anything else.
• The Home Secretary must step up and tackle this appalling trend head-on. That work cannot be effectively undertaken unless the Government records and tracks these crimes, so I urge the Home Secretary to enact that change today.