Alister Jack – 2020 Comments on Scottish July GDP Figures

The comments made by Alister Jack, the Secretary of State for Scotland, on 23 September 2020.

As the Prime Minister said last night, the struggle against covid is the single biggest crisis the world has faced in our lifetimes.

The UK Government is focussed on stopping the spread of coronavirus and keeping people safe, while doing everything we can to protect the economy.

Through the furlough and self-employed schemes, we directly supported more than 930,000 jobs in Scotland, a third of the workforce. Now, the Chancellor’s comprehensive Plan for Jobs is bringing in the Job Retention Bonus, creating new jobs for young people through the kick start scheme, doubling the number of work coaches, and are supporting jobs in the tourism and hospitality sectors through a VAT cut.