McMahon: "government must act to prevent further losses and worsening economic conditions for many in Oldham”

Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon

Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon has reacted angrily to the news that the UK is in a recession for the first time in 11 years and is enduring the worst in Europe.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that in the second quarter of this year UK GDP plummeted by 20.4%.

“We saw once again yesterday that unemployment has rocketed over the past five months," said Mr McMahon.

"It’s more than doubled here in my constituency of Oldham West and Royton.

"The double prospect of the Job Retention Scheme ending in a couple of months, and a second wave is deeply worrying, and government must act to prevent further losses and worsening economic conditions for many people here in Oldham.

“My colleagues in the Shadow Cabinet have been warning the government of the danger of sticking to their one-sized-fits-all approach for some time now and they appear to be being ignored.

"Instead we find ourselves in the midst of Johnson’s job crisis.

“Oldham still hasn’t recovered from the global financial crisis.

"We cannot allow the recovery from this current crisis to be built on the back of those on low wages, on our towns that have borne the brunt of the last ten years of Tory austerity, or on communities so in need of investment.

"It is absolutely crucial that we build back better, the old way cannot be allowed to continue.

“To start with government should back Labour’s five point plan for jobs: fix the furlough scheme to support those in the worst hit industries; back our businesses with a fightback fund to stop firms going under and save our high streets; ensure no one is left behind with targeted support for areas forced back into lockdown; keep our workers safe; and finally, drive job creation by investing in infrastructure, speeding up our transition to a zero-carbon economy, and improving access to skills and training.”

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