Rishi Sunak vows to create jobs and get ‘debt back under control’
The Chancellor addressed party members as part of an online Conservative conference - making a vow to "balance the books" and create more opportunities for jobs moving ahead.
Rishi Sunak has pledged to get borrowing and debt “back under control” as the UK heads into what the Prime Minister is calling a “bumpy” run-in to Christmas.
The Chancellor addressed party members as part of an online Conservative conference – making a vow to “balance the books” and create more opportunities for jobs moving ahead.
Sunak’s furlough scheme is due to end on October 31; replaced by the six-month Winter Economy Plan (which sees the government cover a portion of staff wages for the time they are not working).
The new jobs protection programme has received a mixed response – with some industries claiming they’ve been left without the support they need to survive.
Speaking on Monday morning, Sunak stated: “I have always said I couldn’t protect every job or every business. No chancellor could.
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“And even though I have said it, the pain of knowing it, only grows with each passing day.
“So, I am committing myself to a single priority – to create, support and extend opportunity to as many people as I can.
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“Because even if this moment is more difficult than any you have ever faced, even if it feels like there is no hope, I am telling you that there is, and that the overwhelming might of the British state will be placed at your service.”
Number 10
The Chancellor admitted there was much work to do, but cited the Kickstart Scheme – which funds wages and tax contributions for employers hiring 16-24-year-olds – as proof of the government’s intention to create opportunities for young people.
Sunak added: “We will not let talent wither, or waste, we will help all who want it, find new opportunity and develop new skills.
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“Through more apprenticeships, more training and a lifetime skills guarantee.
“Our Kickstart Scheme will help hundreds of thousands of young people into good quality work.
“And we will help small businesses adapt.
“That’s why we have delivered Government backed loans, tax deferrals and tax cuts.
“In a free market economy it is the entrepreneur, who is critical.
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“And we will make it easier for those with the ambition and appetite to take risks and be bold, to do what they do best and create jobs and growth.”
The Chancellor just spoke for 10 minutes, but he had nothing new to say.
❌No new targeted support for millions facing the furlough cliff edge ❌Nothing new for the self-employed ❌Nothing for those excluded so far
He just blew his chance to get a grip on Britain’s jobs crisis.
Shadow Chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, criticised the address, claiming that Sunak had “nothing new to say”.
Dodds wrote on Twitter: “No new targeted support for millions facing the furlough cliff edge. Nothing new for the self-employed. Nothing for those excluded so far.
“He just blew his chance to get a grip on Britain’s jobs crisis”.
News
Appeal launched to find the owner of live chickens found at Creamfields festival
Daisy Jackson
The hunt is on to find the owner of a pair of chickens who were discovered at Creamfields festival.
The two birds were spotted on the grounds of the huge electronic music festival by bewildered festival-goers.
The cockerel and hen were trapped in a hedge, after it appears they wandered onto the festival campsite before the security barriers were installed.
The birds then found themselves trapped inside as around 70,000 music fans poured into Cheshire for a line-up that included Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Disclosure, and Tiësto.
The chickens have been safely rescued from the Creamfields festival site and are recovering at a wildlife centre, and now the RSPCA is on a mission to find their owner.
Festival-goers first called the RSPCA on Saturday 29 August to alert them to the cockerel and hen trapped inside the festival, one of whom assisted in the rescue mission.
RSPCA Inspector Leanne Cooper: “I was surprised that they were inside the festival site and I needed to get through the road blocks and security before reaching them on foot through muddy fields. I met the caller who helped me as they were just running up and down the hedge line where there was a wire fence blocking access.
Where the chickens were discovered at CreamfieldsThe RSPCA wants to track their owners down
“We managed to guide them out and I caught both of them with my rescue net which was a bit of a sight for the festival campers.
“I don’t think they were abandoned and they’re more likely to be stray because it’s farmland all around the festival site. They don’t have any health issues, apart from being quite underweight.
“With the fences going up a week before the festival starts they’d probably been unable to get out for some time and had been left foraging in the hedge. Someone mentioned that a third bird was also trapped, although we couldn’t find any others.
“I am really grateful to the festival-goer who found them and alerted us to their plight.”
Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
The Manc -
5th October 2020 
