Spending review: Chancellor promises to make jobs ‘number one priority’ in package for economic recovery from pandemic

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rishi Sunak has promised to make jobs and livelihoods his “number one priority” in a spending review on Wednesday designed to inject momentum into the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. “This spending review will ensure hundreds of thousands of jobs are supported and protected in the acute phase of this crisis and beyond with a multi-billion package of investment to ensure that no one is left without hope or opportunity.” The spending review will confirm £1.6bn in funding for the next stage of Mr Sunak’s Kickstart scheme, which the Treasury says will create up to 250,000 government-subsidised jobs for young people, as well as the extension to the end of March of a £2,000 incentive for employers to hire apprentices, and a £375m package to support skills training. The CBI’s chief policy director, Matthew Fell, said it was right to focus on job creation, saying: “The scarring effects of long-term unemployment are all too real, so the sooner more people can get back into work the better.” Mr Sunak’s Labour counterpart, Anneliese Dodds, said: “The chancellor’s irresponsible choices this year have wasted billions and have left us with the worst economic downturn in the G7 and record levels of redundancies. “The country needs a radically new approach to the recovery that tackles deep-seated inequality, prioritises unparalleled infrastructure investment into the green economy of the future, and ensures no one is left behind.” Meanwhile, NHS England’s chief executive, Sir Simon Stevens, said the Treasury had agreed to discuss a further funding boost in the new year to cover the ongoing extra costs resulting from the coronavirus.