MORE THAN ONE MILLION PEOPLE COULD LOSE THEIR JOB WHEN FURLOUGH COMES TO AN END

Research from the New Economic Foundation (NEF) suggests that more than one million people in the UK could lose their jobs when the government's furlough scheme ends in September (I news). The foundation also said that yesterday's changes - which mean employers are asked to contribute 20 per cent towards the salaries of furloughed workers - would threaten 250,000 jobs as the change ?will not be cost-effective? for some employers.

The NEF says when the scheme ends 660,000 workers will still need support because many industries, such as travel, transport, arts and hospitality, may not be able to return to normal despite the removal of official restrictions (The Times). The British Chamber of Commerce also said many thousands of redundancies were likely as its survey found one in five firms plan to let staff go in response to the change to furlough introduced yesterday.

GOVERNMENT FACES VACCINE PASSPORT OPPOSITION

Parliament should be recalled from recess if the government is intent on introducing vaccine passports, according to Andrew Brigden, who is among the cross-party group of MPs who pledged to oppose the domestic use of vaccine passports (Financial Times). The government said it intends to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs by the end of September, with growing speculation that the technology could be used in sports venues, universities and other settings. The legislation is due to be put to a vote once parliament returns from summer recess on 6 September.

NEWS IN BRIEF

The government is considering removing the cap on City bonuses as part of its plan to ditch EU rules and make the City more competitive (The Times).

A wave of government consultations intended to make the City of London more attractive after Brexit has caused finance industry executives to cancel summer holidays to deal with the workload (Financial Times). 

Rishi Sunak is considering a temporary suspension of the Conservative's "triple lock" commitment on state pensions by linking this year's rise solely to inflation instead (The Telegraph).

The UK's target of reducing emissions to net zero by 2050 is "too far away" to be the sole focus of attention, the government's spokesperson for COP26 has said (Sky News). 

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