Could furlough be extended again? Government urged to continue scheme or risk mass unemployment
Mr Sunak has previously insisted that the scheme will not stretch any further, but failing to do so could lead to millions of people being left out of work according the Treasury Select Committee.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is being urged by MPs and key members of British industry to extend the furlough scheme or risk ‘mass unemployment’ in the UK.
The Government’s job retention programme – which allows businesses to claim back 80% of their employees’ wages – was launched during lockdown and has supported more than 9.6 million workers in the UK.
Headed by Sunak, the furlough scheme was originally due to run into the summer, but was extended by a further four months in May.
The Chancellor has insisted the scheme will not stretch any further, but failing to take action could lead to millions of people being left out of work according the Treasury Select Committee.
Chairman, Mel Stride, said a “targeted” approach ought to be considered.
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“The key will be assisting those businesses who, with additional support, can come through the crisis as sustainable enterprises, rather than focusing on those that will unfortunately just not be viable in the changed post-crisis economy.”
The Guardian also reports that Make UK, which represents 20,000 companies in engineering, manufacturing, technology and the industrial sector, were fearing a ‘fresh wave of redundancies’ in autumn if the scheme ends as planned.
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Chief Executive Stephen Phipson said: “The protection of key skills should be a strategic national priority as this will be the first building block in getting the economy up and running.
“Ensuring that those sectors which are at the forefront of technology and will provide the growth sectors and high-skill jobs in recovery should receive the greatest support possible.”
Steve Turner, Assistant General Secretary of trade union Unite, also campaigned for an extension, claiming: “Hundreds of thousands of workers could face a desperate future” unless the government moves “swiftly to modify the Job Retention Scheme.”
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Thousands of jobs have already been lost as the UK economy entered a recession earlier this year.
Manchester City Council leader, Sir Richard Leese, has called getting the country back on track the “greatest challenge we have faced in our lifetimes.”
Stockport bar Bask issues statement after ejected customer arrested on suspicion of attempted murder
Daisy Jackson
A popular bar in Stockport has issued a statement following an incident at the weekend, which culminated in a man being arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and assault of an emergency worker.
Police were called to Bask on Railway Road at around 1.03am on Sunday 23 February.
The bar has said in a statement that a male customer had been asked to leave after ‘throwing an object’ at a female member of staff.
The man refused to leave ‘and turned violent’, with security staff having to forcibly remove him.
He then returned to the street outside Bask, where he assaulted members of the bar’s security team, who reportedly sustained injuries.
He was restrained until police arrived and arrested him.
Greater Manchester Police have said in a statement that a man was taken to hospital with a serious, but thankfully not life-threatening, injury.
A spokesperson for GMP said: “Officers were called to reports of an assault outside a nightclub on Railway Road in Stockport at 1:03am on Sunday 23 February 2025.
“A man was taken to hospital with a serious injury, which is not life-threatening.
“A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and assault of an emergency worker. He remains in police custody.”
Bask’s statement said: “Following some inaccurate social media posts, we would like to put out the following statement..
“Last night, a male customer was asked to leave following an incident where an object was thrown at a female member of staff. The security team asked the male to leave the premises, he refused to leave the premises and turned violent, leaving the security staff no option but to forcibly remove the male to protect the public.
“A short time later, the male returned and assaulted multiple members of the security team outside of the venue. The rest of the security team intervened to help protect members of the public, sustaining injuries in the process and restrained the male until the police arrived and was subsequently arrested.”
Four Just Stop Oil protesters found guilty of conspiracy to cause disruption at Manchester Airport
Emily Sergeant
Four Just Stop Oil protesters have been found guilty of conspiracy to intentionally cause public nuisance at Manchester Airport.
Indigo Rumbelow, Leanorah Ward, Margaret Reid, and Daniel Knorr each appeared at Manchester Minshull Crown Court last Friday (21 February) where they were found guilty after being arrested by officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Specialist Operations Branch and Serious Crime Division during the early hours of the morning last August.
The four defendants were detained while walking along South Park Road in Gatley, as they were making their way to Manchester Airport.
According to GMP, they were equipped with heavy duty bolt cutters, angle grinders, glue, sand, Just Stop Oil high visibility vests, and a leaflet containing instructions to follow when interacting with police.
One of the defendants, Leanorah Ward, was also found in possession of a handwritten detailing the motive of the group – which was to enter the airfield of Manchester Airport, before contacting the police to alert them of their activity.
Four Just Stop Oil protestors have been found guilty of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance following GMP investigation.
In August 2024, we detained 4 people close to Manchester Airport who were equipped with heavy duty bolt cutters, angle grinders, glue & sand. pic.twitter.com/AE6vDedtnZ
They were planning to stick themselves to the airfield taxiway using the glue and sand, with one main goal – to disrupt airport activity and gain media attention.
GMP says the arrests managed to ‘prevent large-scale disruption’ at Manchester Airport, amid a summer of chaos threatened by Just Stop Oil, a result of extensive work and national coordination.
“This was a planned and targeted attack against one of the country’s busiest airports which could have caused significant disruption,” explained Natalie Mackenzie, who is the District Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West.
“Their plan displayed a clear disregard for members of the public using the airport at the height of summer.
The Manc -
11th September 2020 
