Britain has suffered Europe's deadliest outbreak of Covid-19 and a nationwide shutdown led to the worst economic contraction among the G7 leading industrialised states. In a statement to parliament at 11:30 GMT, finance minister Rishi Sunak will detail a 2 billion-euro jobs scheme for young people at risk of long-term unemployment. The plan is part also of Britain's long-term pledge to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 to tackle climate change. Since the global pandemic hit Britain in mid-March, more than 44 000 people confirmed to have Covid-19 have died. Selby said "a strong recovery should boost tax receipts and lower the amount spent on benefits, automatically improving the government's balance sheet.

Source: News 24 July 08, 2020 12:45 UTC