Sturgeon calls on Chancellor to deliver major stimulus package
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Nicola Sturgeon has again called on the UK government to invest heavily in the economy, saying the country needs a stimulus package of around £80 billion.
She was speaking ahead of Chancellor Rishi Sunak's keynote statement in the House of Commons tomorrow.
The First Minister was at pains to point out how a range of measures introduced by Westminster had been warmly welcomed north of the border but more needed to be done now.
She also emphasised the danger of a resurgence of the coronavirus with Melbourne, Belgrade and Catalonia among other areas reinstating lockdowns.
But there were positive developments after a cluster of new cases in Dumfries and Galloway was brought under control quickly.
Meanwhile, Scotland continues to see low numbers of infections and there was just one death in the last 24 hours after two days with out any confirmed deaths from anyone suffering from Covid-19.
Ms Sturgeon said: “Although we all have a part to play in seeking to avoid this, it is the case that as we continue to lift restrictions of lockdown there will inevitably be more clusters like the one in Dumfries and Galloway in the weeks ahead.
“So it is reassuring, while we are absolutely not complacent, to see this one appears to have been controlled so rapidly and effectively and I'm very grateful to everyone who played a part in achieving that.
“The second issue relates to the economic statement being made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer tomorrow. The Scottish Government wrote to the UK government on Saturday to highlight again our view that an £80 billion stimulus programme is needed for the UK economy.
“To put that in context, that would be roughly comparable in ambition to the one Germany has recently adopted. We believe that the programme should tackle inequality, support jobs and have a strong focus on investment in low-carbon and digital infrastructure.
“We have proposed that Scotland should have greater financial powers, for example over borrowing, so that we can play a part in and shape our own response to the economic implications of the pandemic.
“It is worth stressing again that the Scottish Government has on several occasions welcomed the policies adopted by the Treasury during the pandemic, such as the job retention scheme and this week’s support for the culture sector.
“We hope that we will be able to welcome tomorrow's statement as well, but for that to happen the policy put forward must meet the scale of the economic challenges that the UK faces."
