London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Rishi Sunak's Summer statement: 'We've been overlooked'

Young people across the UK have had their work, studies and lives upended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Many are working from home, while others have been furloughed or even made redundant.

There could be more than one million young workers who are without a job, if the overall UK level of unemployment goes up from the current 4% of workers to 10%, according to the Resolution Foundation think-tank.

On top of that, under-30s have been hardest hit by a fall in their income during lockdown as more of their money goes on essentials.

So what did they think of Chancellor Rishi Sunak's speech on Wednesday?


'Apprentices have been overlooked'

Emma-Jayne is an apprentice chef from Dorset, earning £5 per hour.

She is one of the many workers who were furloughed in the hospitality sector. The scheme was introduced by the government to minimise coronavirus-related job losses, and it pays 80% of staff salaries up to £2,500 a month.

Although restaurants in England have since been allowed to reopen, Emma-Jayne has only gone back to work part-time.

While the chancellor announced that firms in England will receive cash bonuses for hiring new apprentices from 1 August, Emma-Jayne feels she's being "overlooked".

"I've only just been able to pay my rent and bills on furlough payments," she says. "As well as the business receiving that bonus, the apprentice should get something to support them."

She also expressed concern about the government giving diners 50% off their food bills in August.

"The voucher is all well and good if the UK was clear of Covid-19, but it's not.

"Hospitality desperately needs a boost. But in that same breath, the last thing any business needs is for their staff or customers to be put at risk of infection."


'Carers should be recognised'

Nairn McDonald, 24, is a full-time carer for his mum and 21-year-old brother. He says that during lockdown they've been shielding.

"Now they can't get out, my role has changed. I'm also picking up prescriptions, doing more errands - so it's a bit more labour intensive."

Costs have also been adding up. Nairn relies on universal credit, the benefit for working-age people in the UK, which he says doesn't "really go a long way".

As part of his speech on Wednesday, the chancellor announced the "kickstart" plan, which will subsidise six-month work placements for 16 to 24-year-olds on universal credit, who are at risk of long-term unemployment.

Nairn points out that it's crucial that the scheme is "flexible" for carers. He also worries about the type of work to be subsidised.

"I was so happy to be the first in my family to go to university. I wanted to get a decent job with a decent wage, but it's not clear what's on offer with the scheme.

"There's also no way that I could think of employment if the risk of bringing Covid-19 back to my household is quite high."


'No help for renters'

Razzia Gafur, 24, moved to London after finishing her university studies two years ago. But when lockdown started, she decided to isolate with her partner and his family just outside of Leeds.

"I only packed a weekend bag, and I've been here for three to four months now!"

Razzia has since asked her estate agent if she could exit the tenancy agreement, as she's spending £700 per month on rent and bills on a property she hasn't been living in.

"They would only let me out of my tenancy if I found a replacement tenant," Razzia says, adding that it was difficult to find anyone to take on the flat during lockdown.

She wanted the chancellor to do more for tenants in the private rented sector.

"To be honest, I can't say I'm disappointed because I didn't expect any help from the government," she says.

"It's definitely solidified the thought that I should be looking to buy my own property, as renting has put me in a more difficult situation."

She adds that that government should use lockdown as an opportunity to educate first-time buyers about the different types of schemes that exist to help them get on the housing ladder.

Although the chancellor announced a stamp duty holiday for property sales up to £500,000 in England and Northern Ireland, first-time buyers pay no tax up to £300,000.


'No furlough scheme extension for the arts'

Georgia Barks from Peterborough has also been furloughed. The theatre she works at has been closed since the pandemic took hold earlier this year.

While the government has announced a £1.57bn emergency support package to help protect the future of theatres, galleries and museums, "it should have been done sooner", Georgia says.

"When we all looked for entertainment during lockdown, we turned to Netflix, we turned to TV, and to theatre live-streams - we all turned to the arts."

Georgia believes that the chancellor should have extended the furlough scheme, which is due to finish at the end of October, covering costs for theatres which have no confirmed reopening date as of yet.

"There are no shows for people to come see and there is a drop in future bookings because people are waiting to see if dates get moved again.

"It's ridiculous to say [theatres] must contribute when they have no income to do so," she says.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×