The public health crisis of the last nine months is now resulting in Scotland and the whole of the UK suffering an economic crisis that has the potential to see unemployment rise to levels not experienced for decades. Scottish Labour is working with Gordon Brown to bring together all the key players in a summit of the nations and regions to discuss a comprehensive plan for jobs and unite all parts of the UK to work together and build back together.
The pandemic has shown us that emergency measures can be taken quickly to tackle sudden changes to our way of life, and it is for the governments of the UK to now look at how they can bring forward more measures to support the country as we move into this difficult economic period.
However, we must be clear Scotland cannot build back better in isolation. The only way out of this is the creation of jobs across the UK as a whole on a scale not seen for decades. By working together across the nations and regions of the UK we can create the new jobs and a supply chain that supports jobs in every part of the UK.
As part of this, what is needed is a concrete jobs guarantee with guaranteed access to education, skills and training for new jobs at the forefront. We are calling for an effort on the scale of the post-war economic renewal with investment in infrastructure to address the challenges of 21st century Scotland and Britain.
The Scottish Government needs to work with the UK, with the Welsh and Northern Irish governments. It needs to work with the regions of England. Gordon Brown is working to build that new partnership with mayors, local councils and government at every level. The economic recovery will require all agencies of the UK working together to take the measures that support current and create new jobs. Only by doing this can we truly build back better. Scottish Labour will continue to make the case for jobs and push for the investment to deliver sustainable employment and security for all.
