Britain can cope with the massive increase in people claiming unemployment benefits – the largest rise since records began – propelled by the coronavirus crisis, according to a UK minister.
Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday revealed that the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in April – the first full month of the Covid-19 lockdown – soared by 856,500 to 2.097 million. It’s the largest increase since records began in 1971 and the highest total since 1996.
During an interview with the BBC, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey was asked whether the UK government could “cope” with the staggering spike in unemployment claims, to which she replied: “Yes.” However, Coffey warned that the country should be prepared to see the unemployment rate jump “significantly” over the coming months.
“We had little capacity [for testing] early on, I recognise that, we’ve got a lot of capacity now,” says Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse CoffeyShe says her department can cope with the number of people coming to the benefits systemhttps://t.co/3sXKXO77TH#BBCBreakfastpic.twitter.com/yw4wCi0jyT
It’s not just the unemployment figures which have suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with the number of job vacancies in the UK more than halving in April. The ONS’ preliminary labor market data shows there were an estimated 350,000 unfilled positions in the last month, down 750,000 on March’s figures.
Vacancies – the @ONS vacancy chart while I’m waiting for the correct spreadsheet (X06) to update. Monthly vacancies down to minimum levels pic.twitter.com/fV3KzaYLok
The eye-watering statistics come as PM Boris Johnson comes under increasing pressure from within his own Conservative Party to further relax the lockdown measures and restart the British economy.
Iain Duncan Smith – a former Tory leader and current backbench lawmaker – suggested on Tuesday that the government should reconsider social distancing rules, arguing that the UK was “the only country, certainly in Europe, that I know of” using the two-meter rule.
“I think when it comes to the hospitality sector, I think we do need to look at it very carefully,” the Tory MP for Chingford and Woodford Green said.
Guidelines published by the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that people stay at least one meter away from each other to reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19.
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