20 March 2020

Green Party co-leader Sian Berry said:

“This is certainly a step in the right direction and will provide relief for many workers across the country, but it does not go far enough for the self-employed and those in the gig economy. 

“For real security now and in the future, this scheme needs to include a Universal Basic Income which will provide financial security for everybody and allow people to follow public health advice free from the fear of losing their livelihoods.

“It is also vital that the government does not delay in extending the worker retention scheme at the end of the three months if necessary. The government’s delay in responding to the crisis so far has caused so much worry which has to be avoided in future.”

ENDS

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20 March 2020

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to announce a new package for workers today amid the coronavirus crisis.

Ahead of the announcement, Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley has urged the government to adopt a Universal Basic Income in order to ensure financial protection for all. 

Bartley said:

“Right now, people are having to choose between not paying rent, or risking the spread of infection by going out to work. Nobody should have to face this decision. People need and deserve protection.

“Half measures like freezing Income Tax and National Insurance won’t do. This just kicks the can down the road, and is of no help to people who have lost their jobs or don’t have enough work hours to make ends meet. All of us still have bills to pay and mouths to feed.

“We must have a Universal Basic Income. This would give people real financial protection and the freedom to follow the public health advice in the knowledge that we are protected from poverty.” 

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17 March 2020

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has today announced further economic measures to help support those affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Sian Berry, co-leader of the Green Party, said: “The Chancellor has set some of the right economic and social security goals in response to this crisis but the government needs to go much further and faster in its actions to meet them and ensure people’s livelihoods will be protected.

“The Chancellor now needs to urgently work on a plan for a temporary universal basic income for all citizens. This would be the simplest and best way to make sure everyone has security and does not slip through the net.

“With the public facing so much uncertainty it is vital that the government follows up this financial package with new laws to suspend no-fault evictions and freeze rental payments for those affected by coronavirus.

“Earlier today, the Green Party’s Molly Scott Cato put forward a full plan for weathering the economic storm and providing security for all our citizens, and the chancellor should be looking at the rest of our ideas too.” [1]

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1   https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2020/03/17/green-party-fighting-coronavirus-needs-an-economy-that-works-for-everybody/

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact: press@greenparty.org.uk / 0203 691 9401 

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17 March 2020

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has today announced further economic measures to help support those affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Sian Berry, co-leader of the Green Party, said: “The Chancellor has set some of the right economic and social security goals in response to this crisis but the government needs to go much further and faster in its actions to meet them and ensure people’s livelihoods will be protected.

“The Chancellor now needs to urgently work on a plan for a temporary universal basic income for all citizens. This would be the simplest and best way to make sure everyone has security and does not slip through the net.

“With the public facing so much uncertainty it is vital that the government follows up this financial package with new laws to suspend no-fault evictions and freeze rental payments for those affected by coronavirus.

“Earlier today, the Green Party’s Molly Scott Cato put forward a full plan for weathering the economic storm and providing security for all our citizens, and the chancellor should be looking at the rest of our ideas too.” [1]

ENDS

Notes

1   https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2020/03/17/green-party-fighting-coronavirus-needs-an-economy-that-works-for-everybody/

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact: press@greenparty.org.uk / 0203 691 9401 

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17 March 2020

The Green Party has called for the immediate suspension of all mortgages and rents on property as part of a package of bold proposals to support the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic

As the government struggles to provide reassurance to those who face losing their livelihoods due to the impact of coronavirus, Green Party finance spokesperson Molly Scott Cato has laid out a series of policies [1] which would see a fundamental shift towards an economy that prioritises public health and resilience. 

Scott Cato, who is also a professor of economics, said: “The Prime Minister yesterday said that this is like entering a war, and so we are proposing a wartime-style policy for economic management. 

“To address the challenge of this highly contagious virus we must all work together, and everybody must be protected. More importantly, they must believe that our society is working for them.

“This crisis is exposing the weaknesses in the UK economy and accentuates the longstanding need for a fundamental shift towards an economy that priorities public health and resilience.”

Key policies in the package include:

• The public administration of key public utilities for the next six months, with a possible extension to 12 months.

• The suspension of mortgages and rents on property, including mortgages on buy-to-let properties.

• The introduction of a per-household credit against utility bills, internet and mobile phone contracts 

• The introduction of a basic income scheme to cover essential needs, primarily for food.

• A system of ‘economic triage’ to ensure that state finance is directed towards businesses that have a future in the zero carbon world beyond 2030 and are based in areas of lower depressed economic performance.

Scott Cato said: “The only way for our economy to get through this crisis is for the government to play a far more interventionist role than we have seen since the 1950s. But the crisis also offers us an opportunity to ensure that we emerge with an economy more prepared to tackle the longer and deeper crisis of climate change.”

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1 – https://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/Policy%20files/GPEconomicResponse.pdf

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact: press@greenparty.org.uk / 0203 691 9401  

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