It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for City of Durham (Mary Kelly Foy). It is also a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Workington (Mark Jenkinson) and to congratulate him on a truly excellent maiden speech. It was warm, it was witty and it was thoughtful, and I know that he will serve the people of Workington very well in this place. He, like me, represents a red wall seat. The hon. Member for Ilford North (Wes Streeting), the Labour Front-Bench spokesman, spoke nostalgically and warmly about the Blair Government. Under the Blair Government, both his seat and mine had 10,000 Labour majorities or more, and perhaps the Opposition might reflect on why those voters have lost faith with Labour to solve their problems. There is poverty in my constituency; there is poverty in my hon. Friend’s constituency, but those people put their faith in the Conservative party to make their lives and their futures better.
I turn to the Bill and the amendments. It is clear that an ambitious and decisive response was demanded of the Government by the serious economic situation that we as a nation and the whole world face. The Budget debate in which I spoke back in March already feels a very long time ago for all of us, I am sure. In many ways, the world has changed a great deal since the day when my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered his excellent first Budget to the House. I welcome these Government new clauses, which provide both relief and certainty in a number of affected areas, and I will speak a little more specifically about new clause 20 later.
In other ways, however, it is even clearer now than it was then that my right hon. Friend was ahead of the curve in the response to the challenges that we face. The Treasury has been at the forefront of the national response to the coronavirus and a leading example to the rest of the world, with its focus on protecting jobs and maintaining the capacity of our economy, while also looking after the most vulnerable in our society in all the measures taken to respond to the virus.
The extraordinary success of the coronavirus job retention schemes means that we have been paying the wages of more than 9 million people who would otherwise have been laid off or made redundant and therefore we have protected their jobs, their livelihoods and their families through this most difficult time. The Government have, in my view, risen to the challenge of protecting
our economy thoughtfully, responsibly and with ambition. In my constituency of Newcastle-under-Lyme, that has meant 10,200 jobs supported through the furlough scheme and 2,600 self-employed workers supported with grants of more than £7 million. The local borough council has also supported our local businesses by distributing more than £21 million of business grants. I have received many emails from constituents asking me to pass on their thanks to the Government for the grants, the furlough scheme and all the other measures that have helped to keep them, their businesses and their families afloat through this period.
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Now, as we start to leave lockdown and we reflect on the steps that are needed to recover from the economic elements of this crisis, it is important that we all remember the manifesto pledges on which Conservative Members were elected and which this Bill implements. As we begin to look to the future and the easing of lockdown, our commitment to levelling up all parts of the country should only be strengthened. In that spirit, I welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement earlier this week of a new deal, putting jobs and infrastructure at the centre of the Government’s economic growth strategy. That will build on our manifesto commitment to spread opportunity across the country and unleash the potential of the whole United Kingdom.
The £1 billion fund for school improvements will help to ensure that our schools are well maintained and provide students with safe environments that support a high-quality education. I welcome the statement given earlier today by the Education Secretary about what we can expect in September. Newcastle-under-Lyme is one of the 101 towns that were selected for a town deal, and I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as a member of the town deal board. We will welcome the additional £500,000 or more to spend on local improvement projects. That will, I hope, help to support our high street at a time when it desperately needs that help.
At this point, I must highlight the ongoing concerns of the owners of pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés, and all their employees, many of whom have been in contact with me over recent months. Being able to reopen this Saturday is, of course, an exciting moment for many, and many are looking forward to it, but they still have to adapt to the new normal and that is a challenge that cannot be overestimated. Our local economies will continue to face worrying times and difficult decisions over the weeks and months ahead. We must all do we can, as individuals, to support our local businesses: shop locally, visit our markets and support our local high streets.
New clause 20 is hugely welcome. This measure would allow certain personnel to retain their protected pension rights if they are re-employed as part of the response to coronavirus. I raised this on the Floor of the House in March with my right hon. Friend the Health Secretary, because I had been contacted by a constituent who had come out of retirement to work as a nurse during the crisis and was concerned that by answering the Government’s call for help, she would lose her pension entitlement and rights. The new clause ensures fairness for her and others in her position, and I am glad to see the Government legislating to protect the brave individuals who have stepped up to help in a moment of national crisis.
In conclusion, this Finance Bill implements a Budget that not only recognises the challenges of the present, but looks to the future. The Budget and the Bill are full of ambition for our country and hope for the future. Let us not forget that our national effort in defeating coronavirus presents an opportunity for us to tackle this country’s challenges. Instead of despondency, we must focus on creating opportunity for our country. That is what this Bill aims to do, and that is why I will be supporting it.