Evening Standard comment: Where is the plan for economic recovery? | Corrections needed

Few will be surprised at the news the UK economy is officially in recession, for the first time since 2009. That is a consequence of closing shops, hotels, restaurants and schools — necessary to stop the spread of the virus.

Less inevitable was the sheer size of the slump, one of the biggest among advanced economies, partly a result of ministerial dithering early in the crisis and a late and lengthy lockdown.

What matters now is the Government’s next test: how to support the economy as it starts to open up.

Passing it will require some creativity. The Treasury’s support measures were designed to help shield the economy during lockdown. The hope then was that the economy would bounce back quickly to pre-crisis levels and that jobs could be preserved.

That no longer seems likely and the approach should change, and soon. The Government cannot afford another slow response.

The furlough scheme worked well at the start of the crisis but new ideas are needed

The furlough scheme worked well at the start of the crisis but new ideas are needed. The focus should now be on other policies, and there are plenty for the Chancellor to consider.

London is the country’s powerhouse: people must be encouraged, where safe, to get out and get spending.

There has been talk of apprenticeships for every young person who wants one. That would be useful now, as would more support for part-time workers.

And how about loosening up restrictions on opening hours, to allow companies to eke out as much business from customers as they can? Tax breaks to help companies make themselves Covid-safe would be welcome too.

Economic recovery will depend on those companies that can adapt best and most productively to the changing times. The Government’s focus should be giving those businesses all the help they can.

Corrections needed

Essay crises rarely produce the best work. The Government’s last-minute reversal on how it will grade A-levels is a prime example.

The original plan was for teachers’ exam predictions to be put through a standardisation algorithm in an attempt to keep grades in line with results from previous years. But a similar process has caused uproar in Scotland with poorer students protesting they had been unfairly punished on the previous performance of their schools.

To avoid all that, the Government has gone into screeching reverse and hit on an excruciatingly complicated system. If students don’t like their standardised grades, they can appeal to go with their mock exam results. And if they don’t like those, they can take the exams in the autumn.

But that will surely cause more problems than it solves. The trouble is that poorer students could still be hit by the algorithm, but in order to use mock results instead they will be tasked with persuading their schools to appeal on their behalf.

That may not be easy. For some, too, mocks will have been disrupted by the pandemic. Besides, schools do mocks differently: there is no standard practice.

This is no trivial matter: these results will affect many young futures. Must try harder.