Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Economic support for those small business sectors hit hardest by coronavirus needs to be extended once Britain emerges from lockdown, says Ed Milliband.
The shadow business secretary said that travel, tourism and hospitality will need extended help from Treasury even as the rest of the country opens up again.
Milliband, speaking in a Zoom conference call hosted by accountancy software firm Intuit, said: “Economic support must match the lockdown exit strategy. The support needs to go on for longer if lockdown goes on for longer. If you lift lockdown too early, the implications for the economy and for the country would be disastrous.”
See also: Small business minister trying to help owner-directors hit by coronavirus
Shadow chancellor Annelise Dodds, speaking on the same call, echoed Milliband, saying that those small businesses in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors could face disruption “for years”, and that there needs to be an ongoing system in place to support them.
Ed Milliband also voiced support for the furlough scheme to be softened so that small business employees could do some work even while furloughed, while the country drifts back to work.
‘Small businesses are in the frontline of this crisis’
Many small businesses

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