Valerie signs joint letter to the Chancellor to protect jobs in the aviation, travel, and tourism sectors

On Tuesday 13 July 2021, I signed a cross-party letter to the Chancellor calling for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to be extended until March 2022 for jobs in the aviation, travel, and tourism sectors. 

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that 57% of passenger air transport employees remain on furlough alongside 51% for travel agency and tour operator activities. 

The letter warns that with a lost summer season coming on top of the worst fifteen months in the history of UK aviation, without the continuing support of the CJRS the risk of significant redundancies in these sectors will become a reality.

With 76 of my fellow parliamentary colleagues, I urged the Chancellor to extend the furlough scheme and work with industry to provide much needed financial support while they remain under significant restrictions.